Dreams and Disasters

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Prologue
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eighteen

Chapter One

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter One

Dreams and Disasters

Nothing could stop Rainbow Dash now. She dove with practiced ease through the empty skies; spinning, twirling, and gliding on the currents of air. She gritted her teeth as she peeled into one sharp turn after another, accelerating further. She wasn’t going to fail, not now; she had spent too much time practicing. Too much time planning. Everything had to be perfect, and she was going to make sure of it.

She straightened her wings and tilted, banking into another wide turn. The howling winds tugged at her, but she forced through them to continue her acceleration. Leveling out from another turn, she scanned the expanse of blue in front of her. Her gaze locked onto a single patch of white, far in the distance. She had her goal, and by Celestia she was going to make it.

Her gaze wandered down. A rush of pride swelled in her heart as she saw the crowds of ponies in attendance. There had to be thousands of them here to see her. Only her. They wanted Rainbow Dash, and she loved every second of it it. The thrill of the crowd coursed through her as she pumped her wings to go faster and faster. If the crowd wanted a show, she was going to give them one.

The shrieking wind doubled its efforts, screaming past her in a piercing wail. The faster she went, the greater the winds protest’s became, but she would not give in. She would win. She was Rainbow Dash. She always won. A flap of her wings surged her ahead, rocketing past the angry winds.

The effort she put in would not be in vain, and she was going to prove it in front of all these ponies. Her grin widened. I’m going to make it! The wavering mach cone formed at the tip of her hooves, dancing with a corona of colors. Pressure squeezed at her hooves, pressing down on her as she pushed ahead, still gaining velocity. Her goal came closer, but it was still so far away. Almost there! she thought. I can almost taste it!

The bending air at her hooves resisted her with every meter, threatening to snap at any moment. She knew exactly what would happen if she failed now, the memory of previous failures giving her the final push she needed to break through. The spinning colors bent and flexed around her, squeezing tighter around her. Wind began to suffocate her as it pressed harder into her sides, forcing the last bit of air from her lungs. Then, at the apex of its contraction, it snapped, just as planned.

The sky exploded into a field of colors, stretching out in a massive ring that covered as far as the eye could see. The rainboom raced through the heavens, bringing with it a tremendous crack as the sky threatened to tear itself in half. Rainbow Dash had done it once again, her signature move. Even as she continued to improve its form, her body always felt tingly at this point, and she loved every part of it.

The wind, the noise, the color, it was everything she was and more. It was a gift for her to share with everypony of Equestria, and they had come in herds to see it.

Rainbow Dash finally allowed the winds to slow her. She banked in tight loops in the open sky to bleed off her incredible speed, aiming towards the screaming chorus of ponies waiting to see her up close. An impossibly large grin flashed across her face as she gently hovered through the open stadium, waving to the crowd as she did so. The din of the screaming fans could be heard for miles, and she ate it up. This was her time, and she was going to enjoy it for all it was worth.

She landed on a small cloud poised in the center of the cheering ponies. When she felt the soft cloud beneath her hooves, she finally noticed how tiring her ordeal had been. Her legs began to wobble, but she stood strong. She wouldn’t allow herself to show weakness, not here. She scanned the crowds, her smile growing.

Her gaze locked on an approaching group of ponies weaving through the crowds. She waved gleefully and rushed over to meet them. As she did, though, she noticed something was off. The faces of her friends were not as the should be. Their bodies were distorted, blurry. Their voices were muffled and distant. Most of them were, anyways.

As the misshapen forms of her friends surrounded her, she saw that one was not like the others. Her lavender coat was distinct against the cloudesium, as were her deep violet eyes. Dash could make out every detail, every shape, every curve. Her face felt increasingly warm as the unicorn came closer, eyes fluttering with every step.

A gentle wind passed between the two ponies, drowning out the distorted chatter of her phantom friends. A faint, lingering scent drifted to Dash’s nose, and her body felt like melting at its presence. Her wobbling knees returned, as Twilight Sparkle drew ever closer. They closed to mere inches in only seconds, a shift that Dash wasn’t sure she could handle, but the mare in front of her kept getting closer, not saying a word.

They were nearly muzzle-to-muzzle now. Twilight paused for a moment, letting a breath of wind pass. Their friends had ceased their mumbled chattering. Dash glanced around, and her heart jumped when she noticed they were gone. Everypony was gone. It was just her... and Twilight.

She swallowed hard, watching Twilight carefully. What is she doing? she thought. What’s going on? Her mind was racing, and it wasn’t coming up with an answer anytime soon. Before it could, Twilight made her move. She took one last step forward, bringing the two of them together in a sudden kiss.

Dash felt her wings spring open as she absorbed the shock of the situation. What is she doing? Why is this happening? Why does she taste like... fabric softener?

Dash’s eyes sprang open. Twilight was gone. So was the stadium. What she saw now was a bright blue ceiling, just like the one in her bedroom. She lifted herself up, carefully examining her new surroundings. A small table sat to her left, stacked with books, and to her left, an open balcony door to the outside. Looking down, she saw that she was wrapped tightly in her blankets, some of which had managed to end up in her mouth.

She spat out the cloth, trying to shake the strange dream from her mind. “It was just a dream, Dash—Nothing to get worked up about.”

She yawned loudly and stretched out her tired limbs. “But it felt so real...”

She walked towards the bathroom, desperately seeking some cold water to calm her frazzled mind. As she did, she paused at a smaller table sitting just beside the door. A single frame sat on it, with a picture of her with all her friends. Their faces were no longer distorted and messy as they were in the dream, not that it mattered right now. Dash’s eyes were squarely fixed on just one pony: Twilight.

“Did I want it to be real?” Her empty home replied with silence. She groaned loudly, leaving the room and trotting into her bathroom. It looked like it was going to be one of those days.

*****

A cold morning shower seemed just like the thing to put Rainbow Dash at ease. She stood motionless as the faucet spilled the near-freezing water over her. Her body relished the feeling of the refreshing liquid, but it didn’t help clear her mind nearly as well as she’d hoped.

She’d had that dream too many times. They were never exactly alike, but they always ended the same. Whether it was on a quiet hill or a grassy plain, it always ended up being Twilight and Rainbow Dash, alone, staring into each others eyes.

She’s never kissed me before, though, she thought. She shook her head, sending rivulets of water scattering in the bathroom from her tangled mane. Did something change? We have been spending more time together, but its only been a few weeks since... that night.

She sighed and shut off the water, but remained still. Two weeks... and I haven’t said anything. She hasn’t shown any interest, and I haven’t made a move.

Her mind was pounding with these doubts, and had been for days. Each night brought the strange dreams, and when she awoke, she was even more flustered than the morning before. Although, that wasn’t the only thing pounding.

Her ears suddenly perked at a strange noise. It was a dull thumping sound, coming from somewhere outside. She draped a towel over her dripping mane, and stepped out into the hall. The sound resonated more clearly out here, and Dash followed the noise towards the living room.

She found the source of the noise to be her front door. She tilted her head in confusion. Who knocks on a cloud door? She paused a moment, blinking. Wait, who can knock on a cloud door?

She trotted towards the door, her curiosity rising. She opened the door swiftly, and was assaulted by the brightness of the morning sun. She shied away from the light and covered her eyes with a hoof.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash!”

That voice. It can’t be. Dash struggled to adjust to the light. She peeked from underneath her hoof, eyes widening at what she saw. A purple unicorn, standing on her front porch, sporting a saddlebag on her back. “T-Twilight?”

The unicorn’s smile faded and her head tilted sideways. “Did I interrupt something?”

Dash dropped her hoof back to the floor, shaking her head. “N-no, I just got out of the shower.”

Twilight’s face fell further. “Oh. Are you getting ready for work soon?”

Dash shook her head again. “Not today. I got the day off. I just needed to, uh... clear my head. Cold water seemed like the trick.” Dash waved her hoof dismissively, breaking out a wide smile. “So, what’s up Twi?” She grinned. “‘Sides you, I mean.”

Twilight looked at her hooves and giggled. “I’ve cast the cloud walking so many times in the past few weeks, I might have to find a way to make it more permanent.”

Dash blinked. “Y-yeah. I guess we have been spending a lot of time in the clouds.” She stepped aside and invited Twilight in. She gladly trotted in, glancing around at Dash’s living room. Dash went to close the door behind her, and her hoof paused on the handle. “How did you knock anyways? Clouds don’t make that noise.”

“Well, I did try knocking on the door, actually, but that obviously didn’t work. So instead I just conjured a plank of wood and knocked on that. I figured eventually you would come and investigate.”

Dash laughed. “Well, you’re right about that. It’s not often you hear the sound of knocking wood up here.”

“How do pegasi know when company comes over if you don’t have normal doors or bells? Do they just let themselves in?”

“Pegasi hooves are really sensitive to the movement of disturbed cloud. Most pegasi know to land with a bit of force on cloud homes to let the owners know they are there.” Dash glanced up and down at Twilight. “You teleported?”

Twilight nodded. “I guess I didn’t land hard enough. I’ll remember that next time.”

The two mares walked into the kitchen. Twilight sat at the table in the only chair, while Dash busied herself with the cupboards. “So, what can I do for you Twi? Did we have something scheduled for today?”

“Well...” Twilight’s horn began to glow, unbuckling her saddlebags and removing them from her back. They glowed purple briefly before she let go of her magic, and the bags rested on the table. “I wanted to know what your plans are for the next few weeks.”

“The next few weeks?” Dash scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Aside from work and training? Nothing really. Usually I just do whatever comes along, whether it's hanging out with you...” Dash swallowed quickly and turned away to mask her glowing face. “...or with the girls. Y’know? Whatever life throws at me.”

“So what you’re saying is you have nothing concrete aside from work and your training sessions? For how long?”

Dash turned around. The sound in Twilight's voice betrayed a lot more interest in her schedule than she thought normal. “Well, work is pretty regular, in fact I think I’m due for a pretty long vacation if I really wanted to supercharge my training.”

Twilight sat up sharply in her seat, propping herself up on the table with her hooves. “How much vacation time?”

Dash backed away from Twilight’s outburst. “Uh, a few weeks, I think? Maybe a month or two, with banked sick days. I usually just front-load hours if I think I’m gonna need time off.”

Twilight's eyes twinkled, and an impossibly large grin stretched across her face. “That’s perfect!”

“Uh, perfect for what?”

“Do you think you could put in for a month of time off?”

“A month? Why?”

Twilight reached into her saddlebags, pulling out a unsealed scroll. It began to glow purple as Twilight moved the letter through the air towards Dash. It unfurled in front of the pegasus, and her eyes scanned through the message quickly.

To my most faithful student,

With the arrival of the new year, the Royal Library has presented a unique opportunity to broaden your studies further, should you choose to accept. This task will take you further out of Ponyville than you might be comfortable with, so I will allow you to take any number of your friends along with you. I must warn you, however, that this will take several weeks, and I would not wish you to burden them if they cannot devote the time.

I am sending you several copies of Equestria’s updated histories that should arrive within the next few days after this letter. With these books in tow, you will travel to the eastern kingdoms beyond the seas from Manehatten, and complete a series of exchanges for similar tomes from the many ruling bodies along the continent. Included with the books will be a special travel ticket that will exempt you from any fees you may incur on the voyage to aid in expenses.

If you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask before your departure in one week's time.

Good luck,

Princess Celestia

Dash looked up from the letter. Twilight was staring intently at her, eyes wide with expectation.

“A trip around the world? That’s what this is about?”

Twilight nodded. “Isn’t it exciting? I’ve been up since Celestia sent me the letter planning for it.”

“And how long ago was that?”

“Uh.” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. “Two days?”

Dash glanced at the letter again. ...I will allow you to take any number of your friends with you... “So that’s why you’re here? You want me to come with you?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I want to go across the world with my best friends?”

Across the eastern kingdoms... “So where exactly is Celestia sending you? It doesn’t say here.”

“Well... I imagine the full list will come with the books. I imagine Great Brayton will be one of them, maybe Prance, among others.”

“That sounds like quite the trip. Everypony must be really excited.” Dash chuckled. “Prance, huh? Rarity will love that.”

Twilight’s mood suddenly darkened. Her head slumped towards the table, and she began tracing the surface with her hoof.

“Uh, Twi? What’s wrong?”

“Rarity isn’t coming.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Well, yesterday I went out to let everypony know what was happening. Rarity was first, because her home was closest. When I got there, she was in the middle of a huge order. Apparently a noble family in Canterlot requested a few dozen dresses and suits to be completed in three weeks.

“I offered to help so she could get them done in time for the trip, but she insisted that she could not pass up this opportunity to get her name in Canterlot. She won't be able to come.”

“Well, that sucks. Well, I’m sure the rest of us can find something nice to bring back for her.”

Twilight slumped further onto the table. Dash stared open mouthed as her friend’s mood kept sinking. “You’re kidding me. All of them?”

Twilight nodded glumly. “Fall is coming, so Applebuck season is right around the corner. Applejack has to oversee the whole thing, so she said it’d be best not to wait on her.

“Pinkie just got promoted at Sugarcube Corner, mostly because the Cakes just got hit with a huge catering order out of the blue and they needed the extra help.”

“And Fluttershy? I can’t imagine her having much to do.”

“I thought so too. But when I went to see her, she showed me a nest of phoenix eggs that appeared on her doorstep. She tried to find the parents, but they never came looking. From what she’s researched on phoenixes, their hatching period is within weeks of the summer solstice. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving them alone, so she’s going to be keeping a close eye on them until they finally hatch. She even asked me for every book on phoenixes that I owned.

“And so... That left you. In fact, the reason I didn’t come to you yesterday was because I was so bummed that the other’s couldn’t make it.”

“I see...” Dash was quiet for awhile, watching Twilight twiddle a tuft of cloud between her hooves. “Well, you can count me in!”

Twilight sat up suddenly. “You mean it?”

Dash beamed at her. “Of course. I don’t have any reason not to. I just said I have the time off, and I’d feel pretty bad to let you go across the world all by yourself.”

Twilight grinned madly and lept across the kitchen. She tackled Dash into a tight hug, squeezing with all her might. “Oh thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

“Urk!” Dash wheezed. “Uh, no problem, Twi. What are friends for?”

Twilight finally relented her crushing embrace and trotted back to her bags. She swept them up with a flash of magic, and started towards the door. “I’ll let the princess know right away that you can come. Oh this is going to be so much fun. Just you and me, traveling across the world!”

“Y-yeah, sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait.” Dash followed Twilight to the door and onto her front porch. “You say we have to leave in four days?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. We’ll be leaving Manehatten by airship. I should know more as soon as the Princess’s delivery arrives, which will be any minute now. I should be getting home to see if its shown up yet.” She gave Dash a fond look. “So you should have plenty of time to pack.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess I’ll get started on that right away.”

Twilight stepped to the edge of the cloud, her magic glowing. “I’ll come by as soon as I know more. Thank you again!”

In a flash, Twilight was gone. Dash smiled as she watched her friend wink out of sight. “A trip around the world. Sounds like an adventure.”

She returned inside, heading back to the kitchen. In all the fuss, she still hadn’t managed to eat anything, and she had a lot to think about. She had to pack; that was going to be a bother. She also needed to get out of work, which was going to be a hassle of its own. She had the time off for sure, but to suddenly take up to a month off with little to no notice was not going to make her a favorite at work.

It wasn’t long though until the true brunt of what had transpired hit her with full force. She froze as she reached into the cupboard. Me... and Twilight. Together. By ourselves. For a whole month. The memories of her dreams came to the forefront of her mind with gusto. On a trip across the world.

“This is going to be a disaster.”

Chapter Two

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Two

On the Wing

There were few things Rainbow Dash couldn't handle. A charging manticore? No big deal. A mischievous draconequus? Piece of cake. A race? Laughable. Her life had pitted her against these and more, and she felt more unstoppable with each victory.

Having dinner with a friend that she might have a crush on? That was... complicated.

The food was bland if anything. The location was alien and the music a few scales short of snore-worthy. Everything was strange and so not-her, but it was all worth it for the mare across from her.

Twilight looked up from her plate, smiling. “How is it?”

“It’s uh... great,” Dash said. She poked at the green food with her fork. “Not bad.”

“That’s good. I didn’t think this place was something you liked.”

Dash forced herself not to shrug. “No, it’s alright. You said you liked it, so I thought we could try it.”

“That’s... awfully generous of you. But why?”

Dash dropped the fork and rubbed her hooves together. “Well...I...uh...”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong, Dash?”

“N-no...I mean yes... I mean...maybe?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I... well. I want to. I just don’t know if I can.”

“Why? Is it a secret?”

“S-sorta. Not a Pinkie Promise or anything... just... hard to talk about.”

“Well, you know you can tell me anything Dash. We are best friends after all. You can trust me.”

Dash winced. “Y-yeah... It’s kinda about that.”

Twilight tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Us... As friends...”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“W-well. Have you ever considered being... more than friends with somepony?”

“More than friends? We’re already best friends, Dash. What’s higher than that?”

Dash shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I meant... a sp—” The words died on her lips. Try as she might, her attempts to force them failed. All she could do is withdraw herself inward, in her seat, staring at Twilight.

“Sp... what? C’mon, Dash. You can tell me.”

Dash closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body shook as she let it go. She slowly opened her eyes again. Twilight was staring at her, more confused than anything.

“Will you be my special somepony?!”

Dash slapped her hooves to her mouth, but it was too late. The words echoed across the room, but they didn’t need to travel far. Twilight’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

Dash felt her lips quivering and her eye twitching, as she watched Twilight’s face. It was unreadable.

Twilight’s mouth moved, but no words came. There was nothing but silence.

Dash felt everything spinning. Her breath was racing and her heart was pounding. And to make things worse, everything was falling sideways. The table tilted over as Dash felt herself falling over. Her mind braced for impact as she felt her life spiraling out of control, but all she felt was a sharp sting on the side of her head.

She strained to open her eyes, and sat up when she did. The restaurant was gone, and so was the table. She glanced around. Twilight was still there, but now she was sitting beside her on a velvet seat. Applejack was there too, as well as Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy, all seated around her in a small carriage.

Dash breathed a sigh of relief. Just a dream. I’m still in Manehatten with the girls.

The bustling streets of Manehatten were a nightmare to travel even on a good day. Rainbow Dash had a strong distaste for cities that plagued their skies with stone towers, and avoided travelling here as often as she could. Cutting out the part of the world that was her birthright was not something she needed to see if she could avoid it.

She stared out the window at the other carriages outside. They came and went down the long, cobblestone streets that weaved through the entire region. The clattering wheels could be heard in chorus for miles around, drowning out the din of trotting hooves along the sidewalks.

Her mind was locked in thought. The packing had been finished easily enough, and work was not as tough on her as she expected. Dash smirked at the thought and was grateful everything worked out.

That was until she actually got to Manehatten. When the train had pulled in the previous night, she knew better. Everything that had transpired in the past week was real. This trip was going to happen, and she had no idea what to do.

She turned her head away from the window, just enough to see into the carriage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Twilight sitting just beside her. Nopony could miss the smile on her face or the brightness as she gestured wildly in conversation.

Dash flicked her ear, taking in tidbits of conversation without much clarity.

“Are you girls sure you need to see me and Dash off at the harbor? You are all putting off so much time already with your new projects. Seeing us to Manehatten was enough.”

“Nonsense, dear,” Rarity said. “What kind of friends would we be if we couldn't sacrifice some time for our friends? I believe the nobility of Canterlot can wait one extra day for their order. Delay or not, they will love the results far too much to be mad.”

Dash drowned out the rest of the conversation under her own thoughts. She was glad the rest of her friends found some time to see them off. At least it offered her a little more time before the focus of her worry came to full force: being alone with Twilight.

How could this have happened? Only a week ago I was having these dreams, and now all of a sudden I’m going to be alone with Twilight all the time! Dash fought against a yawn. At first she was just as excited as her friend, but as the week went on, her mind delighted in ruining her nap schedule.

Another snippet of conversation invaded Dash’s thoughts. She turned her head and saw Rarity staring dreamily into space. “It pains me greatly that I will not be able to come with you, Twilight. The things I could learn from just a single day in Prance.” Her melancholy was broken by a boisterous guffaw from Applejack.

She removed her hat and placed it over her chest, clearing her throat. Her voice shifted from its usual drawl to an accent nopony within the carriage had ever heard before, at least from her. It was poignant, demure, and sounded suspiciously similar to Rarity’s own. “Oh darling, must you be so dramatic? It’s hardly proper behavior for a lady.”

Rarity’s face shifted to a deep red. Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth to stifle her timid laughs, while Pinkie made her way to the floor and was rolling around, clutching her sides. “That was amazing, Applejack! Do it again! Again!”

Applejack shook her head. “Naw, ‘fraid one’s all ya get. Don’t want Rarity to bust a gasket an’ come at me like a spider monkey.” Applejack flashed a wicked grin at Rarity. “Not that that would be very lady-like.”

Rarity took a deep breath. She brought a hoof to her chest, and with a smooth motion of her leg, she exhaled slowly. “Y-yes, that would be quite unseemly of me. Although completely appropriate.”

“What was that Rarity?” Pinkie asked. “I didn’t catch that last part.”

“Oh, nothing!” she said with a wave of her hoof. “Nothing at all, I assure you!”

Dash smiled and allowed herself to return to her window. Twilight was laughing. Just hearing her laugh was enough for Dash to fold her ears back. She took deep breaths, putting the images of her dreams out of her mind. She was not going to allow her subconscious to get weird while anypony could see her, especially Twilight.

“Hey, Dash, are you alright?” Twilight said. “You look tired.”

Rainbow Dash spun her head. “Huh? O-oh, yeah, I’m cool. Just thinking, is all.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“Are you worried about something, Dashie?” Pinkie asked. “You’re usually worrying when you get all thinky!”

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat. “Me? Worried? No Way! Me ‘n Twi are gonna have loads of fun!” She reached over and placed a foreleg over Twilight and forced her widest smile, praying that the others would miss her unease.

Twilight returned the friendly hug with a leg of her own. “Oh, definitely. I spent a lot of time over the last few days figuring out what we could do at each stop.”

Dash fought the red that tried to force its way onto her face with Twilight’s sudden closeness. “Y-yeah, I can’t wait.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to say where we’re going?”

“Nah. I already know the first few stops, but I’d rather wait to see the rest. I kinda want the surprise. Makes it more of an adventure if I don’t know what to expect.”

Twilight giggled. “You sound an awful lot like Daring Do.”

Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, she has a pretty good grasp of what it means to adventure. I might as well try to live the experience.”

“Did you bring any of the books to read while we’re away?”

Dash blinked. “Uh, well... heh. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the only things I actually did pack. Aside from my saddlebags, all that’s in my trunk is most of the series and my passport.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity exclaimed, aghast. “You can’t possibly think that’s sufficient travel preparations for a month across the world!”

“Well, Twilight said she would handle all of the really important supplies. I have no idea how to pack for long trips except to bring stuff to not get bored on the traveling parts.”

“It’s fine, Rarity. Really,” Twilight said.

“Well,” Rarity continued. “You can’t expect Twilight to move your trunk around for you, do you, and you won’t always have the benefit of a steward to aid you.”

Dash slumped in her seat. “Oh, yeah... right. I guess I didn’t think about that.” She looked at Twilight, rubbing her foreleg. “Sorry Twi, I guess I’ll leave the books.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, really. It’s fine. Considering that the point of this trip is to carry a bunch of books to and from Canterlot, I figured I would need something to help make it easier. I’ll show you once we get to the harbor.”

Dash arched an eyebrow. “If you say so...”

The smell of salt made its way to Dash’s nose. She propped herself against the window, peering down the street. The dull sound of seagulls filled the air, accompanied by ringing bells and whistles. Towering spires rose up in the distance, and as she followed them up with her eyes, she saw where they were going. Dozens of enormous vessels hung in the air, suspended by equally large balloons high above the city streets and lashed to the towers by ropes as thick as trees.

Dash pushed the window open to get a better look. The thick crowds had dispersed slightly, and what remained had taken on a far different appearance. Well-dressed ponies of every kind were milling about the sidewalks. Stacks of luggage we scattered around, most of which were being tended to by burly stallions moving back and forth along the roads.

The carriage came to a stop. The door opened and a thin earth pony popped his head inside with a smile. “Manehatten International Harbor, ladies. The next ship to Great Brayton leaves within the hour. Will you require a steward for your luggage, miss?”

Twilight shook her head at the stallion. “No thank you. We’ll manage.”

The driver nodded. “Of course. I’ll remain here to return your friends to your hotel once your ship departs.”

“Thank you.”

The stallion left, and one by one the passengers stepped out. Dash stayed behind. She sat in silence, staring at the door and sighed. Guess I better get this show on the road. Slowly, she stood from her seat and stepped outside into the bright Manehatten morning.

Dash stepped down from the carriage and quickly cast about for her friends. They had gathered at the back, and were in the middle of helping Twilight remove the two trunks. Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy busied themselves with the multi-colored container, while Rarity and Twilight focused their magic together on the other. After they carefully placed the trunks on the ground, Twilight opened the purple one.

The inside was half filled with books, neatly piled to one side. The other side had a pair of saddlebags with a lavender starburst pattern embroidered on the sides. She shoved the lid aside and pulled the bag out of the box.

“Dash, can you open your trunk and grab your saddlebags?”

“Uh, sure.” Dash went to her trunk and opened the lid. Her luggage was surprisingly tidy, filled to the brim with more books than Twilight had packed herself. The covers were brightly colored, and the covers showed various depictions of the same golden pegasus with a pith helmet, either swinging from a vine or hanging off a perilous cliff edge.

“Wow, Dash,” Applejack said. “Ah knew ya took to readin’ something fierce, but this?”

“A-heh, yeah... what can I say? Daring Do is fun to read.”

Dash reached in and grabbed her saddlebags. As soon as she retrieved it from the trunk, they started to glow purple, as Twilight’s magic took it from her. The unicorn held the two pairs of saddle bags in front of her, examining them carefully.

“This will do nicely,” she said.

“For what?” Dash asked.

Twilight smiled. “You’ll see.” She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The two bags floated back over their respective trunks, and began to glow brighter. A gentle wind surrounded the carriage as the magic swirled through the air. The trunk lids creaked in the rogue breeze.

The wind picked up, and whorls of bright light began to form around the trunks and merge with the bags. They glowed brighter and brighter, prompting the onlookers to shield their eyes from the dazzling display.

When the light receded, all that remained were the floating bags. Small patches of sizzling rock were the only indication that anything had been sitting there at all. The bags hovered in the air in Twilight's magic, but now looked far more burdened than they had before. The bright blue bag floated over towards Dash and placed themselves on her back. The sudden weight nearly knocked her off her hooves, but she managed to keep her balance.

“Whoa, Twi. What was that?”

Twilight grinned as she placed her own bag onto her back. “Bag of holding enchantment. Turns ordinary saddlebags into small dimensional pockets capable of holding twenty times their actual capacity with only a twentieth of the weight. This way I can carry all of Celestia’s books as well as the ones we’ll be picking up once we complete the exchanges, and you can keep all your books.”

“Wow. That’s awesome, Twi.”

“Yes,” Rarity added. “That is a very impressive tool, Twilight. You will have to show me how to do that one someday. I could really use the storage space in my boutique.”

“I’d love to, Rarity. I’ll come over as soon as we get back and show you.”

“Fancy magic aside,” Applejack drawled, “don’cha’ll think we should git movin’ to the pier? The ship’s gonna leave soon.”

A loud bell tolled throughout the harbor. It rang again and again, until it hit its ninth chime. Twilight looked up at a clock tower that sat in the middle of the palisade. “Applejack’s right. We better get moving, girls.”

The group moved into the busy harbor, trotting past the waiting tourists that were scattered about. They eventually made it to an opening that led to a gangway. At the sight of a row of brightly colored signs hung above a series of doors, Twilight broke away from the others to retrieve a small piece of parchment from her bags, which she compared to the signs. “C-Two,” she read. “This is it, girls.”

The others followed her out onto the dock. Once in the light, they all gasped in unison at what they saw. An immense craft hovered quietly in front of them, the ropes holding it still easily twice the width of a stone column. The wood along its underside was pristinely carved marble white wood. Its railings were a bright sky blue that followed the length of the vessel from stem to stern.

High above the ship, the balloon shimmered an incandescent gold in the morning sun. Its sides were painted with dozens of sunburst patterns, much like Celestia’s cutie mark. Dash stared up at the looming vessel as her friends chatted about it. Her own mind took over and examined the great ship. She felt so small compared to the white monster, and her own worries seemed to shrivel at the same time.

Dash was so engrossed that she almost didn’t notice her friends start towards the dock without her. She snapped herself from her trance and hurried ahead, so fast that she did not notice Twilight slowing down to walk beside her. “So, Dash, are you excited?”

Dash jumped slightly. “Oh! Yeah! T-totally. The ship looks like it won’t be that boring at least.”

“Yes. The Dawn is one of the largest cruise ships in Equestria. It’s about the size of a small village on the inside, so I imagine there will be plenty to keep us occupied for the three-day trip.”

“Three days, huh? I guess this thing isn’t all that fast.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, the trip is half the journey. There will be plenty to see just getting to the places we’re going.”

“I hope you put a camera in one of these bags.”

“I always come prepared,” Twilight said with a wink.

The two laughed, as a large stallion with a blue tunic made his way down the dock, ringing a bell with his tail. “All aboard! The ship departs for Great Brayton shortly! Please present your tickets at the ramp!”

“That’s us,” Twilight said.

The two turned back to the rest of their friends. They circled around them, each with a misty look in their eyes. Pinkie was the first to make a move, leaping towards Twilight and Dash and bringing them together in a hug. “I’m going to miss you two soooooo much!”

“We’ll miss you too, Pinks,” Dash said.

Fluttershy joined the hug second. “Please be safe you two.”

“Of course, Fluttershy,” Twilight said.

“Have a wonderful time and take lots of pictures,” Rarity said as she joined in.

“We will, Rarity. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on Spike while we’re gone.”

“Oh, of course, darling. It will be no trouble at all to take care of little Spikey-Wikey.”

Twilight smiled. “He was a little upset when I said he couldn’t come. He was excited when I offered to let him keep an eye on the library while I was gone, but still... I would have loved to bring him, but he is a baby dragon still. A trip like this would tire him out too fast.”

“Think nothing of it, dear. I’m sure after a few days in my care he’ll be back to his old self in no time.”

Twilight couldn’t help but snicker. “I believe you.”

Applejack was the last to join in the group hug. “Don’t forget to have fun! This might be a job fer the princess, but don’t let it be the only thing ya do.”

Dash laughed. “Yeah, I’ll leave the egghead parts to Twilight.”

“Rainbow Dash...” Twilight said wryly.

Dash tugged the unicorn closer to her. “Just kidding, Twi. We’ll definitely have loads of fun, AJ.”

They remained locked together in a hug for as long as they could, before the dockworker returned. “All aboard! Last call for Great Brayton!”

Twilight slowly released her grip on the others. “We’d better get going, Dash.”

The group hug slowly dissolved, allowing the two world-bound ponies to say their last goodbyes and head towards the ramp. There were only a few lingering ponies aside from them remaining to embark. As Dash followed Twilight, she glanced at the deck. It was a hive of activity, with workers and travellers alike running about in preparation for the impending launch.

Twilight retrieved the tickets from her bags and floated them to the stallion standing at the bottom of the ramp. His eyes widened at the golden passes, before looking at Twilight herself.

“Oh! Twilight Sparkle. We had heard you’d be joining us today. It is an honor to have you aboard.” He bowed his head, allowing the two ponies to pass.

They climbed up the ramp, melting into the crowds of ponies that gathered around the outer edge of the ship, and made their way towards the railing. They found a spot that let them see out over the dock below, and more importantly, to see their their friends who gathered on the edge to wave up at them.

The horn sounded again, and the ship began to drift forward as its lashes were cut. Dash looked back down to the dock. Her friends were still there, waving at them, shouting goodbyes. She laughed as Pinkie broke herself from the group to follow the ship as it coasted away. She bounced and bounded, waving madly as she did so. Even running out of platform did not stop her. After she made it to the edge, she resorted to jumping in place as the ship got further and further away.

Dash turned to Twilight. Her face had a pained expression on it, and streaks of dampness along her cheeks.

“Hey now,” Dash said, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We’ll see them again in a month or so.”

Twilight sniffed and rubbed her nose. “I know. I guess this is the first time in a while we’ve been so separated. And for so long, too.”

“Don’t worry, Twi. I’m still here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Dash’s eyes widened as she realized what she just said. She retracted her hoof, and turned away to hide the heated look that grew on her face. Please don’t let Twilight notice that, she thought.

“Thank you, Dash. That means a lot.” When Dash looked back, Twilight was staring at her, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

“Heh, loyal to the end, Twi. Don’t forget that.”

A loud rumble echoed from nearby. The two exchanged confused looks as the looked around. “What was that?”

The rumble returned, prompting Dash to look down. She laughed, and rubbed her head meekly. “That would be my stomach. I guess I was more distracted this morning than I thought. I’m gonna go look for the cafeteria. Meet you at our cabin?”

Twilight giggled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll go look for it. Bring me something too?”

“Sure thing, Twi.”

Twilight smiled as she watched Dash turned and trotted into the milling crowd, knowing that they would never be too far apart on this trip. It was a relief to know that she wasn’t alone on this voyage. She and Dash had grown much closer over the past few weeks, and she was happy to be given the perfect chance to continue strengthening their friendship.

She turned the other way to begin the search for their cabin. As she did, though, she paused to pull out a single book from her bags. Its only marking was a starburst pattern on its front. She opened it to the first page. It was blank, but it would not be for long. She took a quill and scribbled neatly at the top of the page.

Day One...

Chapter Three

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Three

Alligator Sky

Three days stuck on a cruise ship, as it turns out, was not as fun as Dash expected. Sure, the flying village was big enough. There were shops and games to amuse herself, and the cafeteria had proven to be worth every visit. She had spent most of her time with Twilight in their room, although spent it reading quietly on their own bunks.

Unfortunately, there were only so many times she could read a book or play one of the games offered by the crew before she wanted something else to kill the time. The obvious solution for her was to go flying and practice her routines. Every aspect of her form always had kinks to work out, and it wasn’t like she was at a loss for free time.

But, as the voyage dragged on, the ship found itself trawling through a cloud of dense fog. It brought a wet chill to the air, making leaving the room uncomfortable. The pegasi crew members did what they could to keep it at bay, but the captain deemed it a safer alternative for the passengers to remain in their rooms.

And so, Dash was confined to her tiny room with Twilight, with only a few options to pass the time until they arrived in Great Brayton. She had exhausted many of her books, and was growing tired of reading. So that left her the option of working with Twilight to come up with more creative ways to spend their time.

“How are you doing that?” Twilight said.

“Doing what?" Dash replied.

“That!”

“This? Years of practice, Twi.”

“But that isn’t possible! If I put this here, you should have put that there! That’s how it’s supposed to work!”

Dash chuckled at Twilight’s frustration. “Says who?”

“My books! They distinctly lay out the strategies for this, right down to the moves. Like this one. I put this across this way, and you should have done it like this.”

“A book?” Dash chuckled. “Hah. You can’t learn this from a book, Twi. No matter how many moves it shows you. Just practice and experience.”

“Who in Equestria did you practice with to get this good?”

“Eh, Pinkie, mostly. Needed to do something the pass the time between pranks.”

“Are you saying that Pinkie is even better at this than you?”

“Oh yeah. Way better. She is like a goddess at this. I’d be lucky to keep up with her.”

Twilight stared with disbelief at Dash, who was trying to conceal a smirk. Their gaze went unbroken for a long while in silence. Dash brought a hoof to her mouth in an effort to not laugh, but the serious look in Twilight’s eyes was making it difficult.

After a few quiet giggles and grunts of frustration later, Dash finally broke the looming quiet. “Best out of fifteen?”

Twilight slumped down on her spot of the floor, scattering the stacks of paper with a sweep of her hooves. “Nopony should be this good at Tic-Tac-Toe.”

“Well, you suggested something to pass the time.” Dash wandered over to the window and peered outside. “It’s too cold outside with all this mist. You’d think we’d be there already. I mean, it’s been three days.”

Twilight stood up and went to her bunk. She grabbed a book with her magic and laid it in front of her. “I suppose the ship has to travel slower through it so they don’t hit anything. At least until they know exactly where the shore is. Don’t worry, Dash. We’ll definitely be there later today.”

“I hope so. I’m going crazy cooped up on this ship! Are you sure I can’t just go for a quick flight around the ship?”

“Are you kidding? Between the unpredictable wind variances over oceans and your unfamiliarity with them, you'll likely tire faster than over land, and then there's the issue of the limited visibility due to fog, the complete lack of landmarks due to the lack of land to mark, and the non-static origin due to the ship's passage, and—”

“Alright, alright! I get it. I’ll stay grounded. But don’t think I won’t go for a quick flight once we hit land.”

“Once we leave the harbor, of course.” Twilight giggled. “I think the port authority would have an issue with a pegasus suddenly abandoning ship without processing through customs.”

Dash sighed. “Yeah, yeah.”

Twilight returned to her book, leaving Dash to stare out the window. The fog floated by ominously, and as it did, her mind began to drift into her imagination. She smiled at how easy it was to imagine herself in the clouds, racing through the sky. In her mind, she was the boss, and not even a bit of fog would take the sky from her.

As she crested above the obstructing mist, she looked out over the horizon below. The growing cloud began to darken, shifting from a bright grey to a dark, murky black. It cut away as parts of it dissolved, revealing rolling hills below her. Her eyes widened as she witnessed was what happening. What?

“Dash, is something wrong?”

Dash turned around and rubbed her eyes. Twilight was behind her, sitting on a cloud with her. She glanced around, and recognised it as the roof of her home. Looking up, she saw that the sky had shifted back to night. The stars twinkled in the distance, accompanied by the occasional streak of light that soared across the sky. Twilight was staring at her, with concern in her eyes.

“Dash?”

Dash shook her head, and the clouds dissipated around her. Twilight was back on her bunk, and they were back in the tiny cabin, staring at each other.

“Y-yeah, Twi. I’m fine. This cabin fever is getting to me is all.” She glanced out the window again. Nothing had changed, everything was still the same boring way it was. “I’m hungry,” she said quickly. “Do you want anything from the cafeteria?”

“You want to go outside? It’s freezing out there!”

Dash scoffed. “I wouldn’t say freezing. Just a little chilly is all. Plus, I am a pegasus. I fly in cold weather all the time. This is nothing.”

Twilight stared at her with worry in her eyes. “If you catch a cold in this weather, Rainbow Dash, I’m going to be really upset with you.”

Dash trotted over to Twilight’s bunk and patted her on the head. “You worry too much, Twi. I’ll be fine. Some air in my feathers will be just the ticket to keep me from losing it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, and sighed in defeat. “Okay, just don’t be gone for too long. I’d rather not have to leave to come get you in this cold, and I definitely don’t need to be playing doctor for you during the whole trip.”

“That actually sounds pretty nice,” Dash muttered.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

Dash went stark still once Twilight asked the question. Did I actually say that out loud? Oh ponyfeathers! “N-nothing Twi, I’ll be back in a flash with something tasty, you’ll see.”

Before Twilight could utter another objection, Dash went out the door and shut it briskly behind her. Her body shivered as the chill air washed over her, and she heaved a sigh of relief. That was way too close. I really need to pay attention to what I say around her. The last thing I need is to weird her out for the whole trip.

Her stomach rumbled, and she began to walk in the direction of the cafeteria. Maybe some food will clear my head. Or at least help me figure out what to do about this whole trip before I end up turning it into one huge mess.

*****

Dash was surprised to see others had braved the morning cold to enjoy breakfast. A few families had gathered at the many tables of the ships galley and were talking loudly amongst themselves. She smiled to herself as she moved past the seats towards the line, intent on making her excursion as short as possible. Wouldn’t want to make Twilight worry, would I?

She made her way to the counter, eyeing the various things they had on display for breakfast. As the warm smells drifted past her nose, she heard a startled noise from the other side of the shelves. She looked up and saw one of the attendants staring at her with widened eyes. She was a unicorn with a coat almost exactly like Twilight’s. Her mane, however, was far shorter, and toned two very dark shades of blue.

“Are you...Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

“Uh...yes?” Dash replied.

The unicorn’s face brightened and she smiled widely while hopping in place. “Oh, I knew it! I knew I recognised you! I saw you last year at the Best Young Flyers competition. That Sonic Rainboom you did was amazing!”

“Oh, yeah? Glad you liked it. Always awesome to meet a—wait a second. You’re a unicorn. How did you see the competition?”

The mare giggled and rolled her eyes. “Cloud walking spell. It’s not that hard to use and I’ve always enjoyed watching pegasi fly.”

“It’s a pretty awesome hobby, I guess. When you have pegasi like me in the skies anyways.”

The unicorn offered a hoof across the counter. “I’m Sea Swirl. It’s great to meet you, Miss Dash!”

Dash returned the hoofshake with a smile. “Just Dash is fine.”

“So, where are you headed? I never expected to meet the Rainbow Dash on the same ship I worked.”

“Eh, just a trip across the ocean. No big deal, really.”

“You aren’t going alone, are you?”

Dash shook her head. “Oh no, I’m going with one of my friends. It’s really some big mission for the Princess, actually, and Twilight asked me to come along.”

“Twilight? You mean Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yeah, is there another one I should know about?”

“Wow, two famous ponies on one ship. The girls back home are going to flip about this one.”

Dash chuckled, reaching for a tray of apples and oats. She added a few others while Sea Swirl continued her excited reverie. “I saw you two at the end of the competition. You two make a cute couple.”

Dash’s leg went limp and the tray fell from her grip and clattered on the ground. She ignored the stares from the nearby groups and glared at Sea Swirl.

“What!?” she hissed.

Sea Swirl had a horrified look in her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to imply anything if you aren’t actually... I just assumed because of how close you were.”

“We’re not...” Dash choked on the words. As much as she knew they were true, she didn’t want them to be. Sea Swirl stared at her, and her expression of guilt slowly turned dreamy.

“Oh... I see...” she crooned. “You aren’t now, but you want it, don’t you?”

“Can you keep quiet?! Ponies are listening!” Dash glanced around, noticing that many of the seated ponies were looking her way, as well as the others in line. Her face had a twinge of panic as her eyes darted around, looking for a way out.

Sea Swirl thought a moment, scratching her chin, then turned around, calling into the kitchen. “Cookie! I’m taking my break. Be back in fifteen!”

Dash watched her go around the counter and walk towards her. The unicorn was smiling brightly as she approached, and she pointed to a vacant table on the far side of the room. “Sit with me?”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Why? So you can make fun of me privately?”

Sea Swirl shook her head. “Never. I just want to talk. And maybe I can help you, if you’ll let me.”

Dash examined Sea Swirl’s face critically. This complete stranger was offering help about a problem she would have loved to have kept secret. She searched for a hint of malice or deceit in this pony, but there was none. Sea Swirl, all smiles, carried a genuine expression. Dash sighed reluctantly. “Fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Sea Swirl grinned, and her horn began to glow. She lifted a small tray of assorted foods in her magic and led the way to the table. Dash caught sight of her cutie mark as they walked. A pair of dolphins? How does she plan on helping me? Throwing me in the ocean?

They sat down. Sea Swirl grabbed an apple and split in half with her magic, offering a half to Dash. “So, is there anything you want to ask me? Anything at all? I’m pretty sure I can help out, if you tell me what you’re having trouble with.”

“How exactly? Your cutie mark are dolphins. How does that make you qualified in l—this sort of thing?”

Sea Swirl giggled. “What? A pony can’t have a hobby?” She glanced down at her flank, then back to Dash with the same dreamy look in her eyes. “I study all kinds of creatures, although sea life does have a bit of priority. I’m still in school, so I can’t exactly make a living on dolphins just yet, so I work on ships like this during the summer. The observatory on the bottom of the ship is wonderful to just watch the ocean for hours.

“But I don’t just watch sea life. I observe all kinds of creatures, to see how they interact with others. There are certain things that ponies and animals have in common, mostly how they connect with others. It’s that little... spark between to living beings that I see, the same thing I saw between you and Twilight last year.”

“But there isn’t really anything going on between us.”

“Why not? Your reaction earlier says that you want there to be.”

“I don’t... I don’t know. I just don’t know how to approach the subject. I’ve never thought about anypony like this before, even back then. These feelings I’ve been having and the dreams...”

Sea Swirl sat up in her seat, her eyes wide. “Dreams? Interesting...”

Dash facehoofed. “Did I really say that?”

Sea Swirl nodded with a grin.

“You see what I mean? I can’t think clearly about this. I only noticed how I felt about her a few weeks ago. I’ve been just coasting, without really doing anything.”

“Not much of a romantic, are you?”

“Of course not! I’m Rainbow Dash, not some mushy pony who obsesses about love... no offence.”

“None taken.”

“So what do I do? What can you do to help me, when I can’t even help myself?”

Sea Swirl sighed. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.”

*****

Sea Swirl was silent. She simply stared intently as Rainbow Dash vented her feelings to her. She covered how she felt about romantic interest in general, and how she ended up falling for Twilight in the first place. After a while, Sea Swirl fluttered her eyes closed and pursed her hooves together. “Why are you on this trip?” she said.

“Huh?”

Sea Swirl reopened her eyes. “Why are you going on this trip with her?”

“Because she asked me to. All our other friends couldn’t make it, so I was the only one. I didn’t want her to go all alone.”

“Was that the only reason?”

“Well, I hadn’t actually realised what I was getting into until after I agreed to it.”

“I see. But afterwards, you had to have seen a way you could use this to your advantage?”

Dash rubbed her neck. “I dunno. Maybe? Like I said, I’m not into the whole lovey-dovey thing. I was hoping I could at least admit it to her at some point and see what happened, but...”

“But...?”

Dash swallowed nervously. “I’m scared.”

Sea Swirl laughed. “Rainbow Dash, daredevil stuntmare, afraid? The tabloids would have a field day.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Not funny.”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist. Now, do you want my opinion?”

“Yes! Isn’t this the reason you asked me over here in the first place?”

Sea Swirl took another bite of her apple. “Just be yourself.”

Dash blinked and stared, mouth agape. “That’s it?! How does that help me?”

“You said it yourself, mushy stuff isn’t your thing. So trying to force it won’t do you any good, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. The best thing you can do is be yourself around her, but pay attention. See what she likes, and try to find things the two of you like to do together.”

“But we already do that! That’s how this all started.”

“That was as friends back home. Now you’re thousands of miles away, in a different place surrounded by different ponies. If you want to hint your feelings to her without just coming out with it, just start by showing the interest. Not with words, but with actions.”

“What if she doesn’t notice? Twilight isn’t exactly very observant to that kind of thing, especially when this whole thing is basically one big field trip for her.”

“Then act like you’re on the same field trip. Enjoy it the same way she would. The biggest thing is, try and take the reins a bit. Show her things you might enjoy, see how you two really connect in a new environment.”

“And that will help show my feelings?”

“Well, it will be subtle at first. The main thing is that it will give you confidence in the matter.”

Dash sat up, slamming the table with a hoof. “I have plenty of confidence!”

Sea Swirl frowned. “Oh really? Remember, I was at the Best Young Flyers competition. I saw you leaving the stage at the beginning of your routine. You looked like you were about to fall out of the sky.”

Dash went quiet. She leaned back into her chair and crossed her forelegs across her chest, frowning.

Sea Swirl rolled her eyes. “Maybe I can phrase this better. All of these things you can do might give you confidence, but what it is really doing is making you comfortable with the whole situation. It’s pretty obvious you’re scared about moving forward with this, especially with somepony who you’re already friends with.”

Dash nodded.

“Thats normal, and probably your biggest obstacle. I can’t really give you much advice on that, because it really depends on the friend. Does Twilight seem like the type of pony who’d shut out somepony who showed feelings for her?”

Dash shook her head. “Never.”

“Then you should be fine. This might be hard for somepony like you to do, but just take it slow. Love has a way of doing the really hard stuff for you, as long as you keep your heart open to the idea.”

Sea Swirl finished her food, while Dash stared down at her plate in silence. A single beam of light crossed the floor, hitting the skin of her apple. It seemed to glow in the sunlight, drawing her attention to the window. The sun was finally peeking out of the clouds, ready to start the day across the world.

A loud, bellowing voice called out, accompanied by a ringing bell. “Land ho! The shores of Great Brayton are on the horizon. We will be docking within the next hour!”

“And that’s my break,” Sea Swirl said, standing up. “You better get back to Twilight.”

“Yeah, I guess I should.” She slowly rose from her seat, grabbing her tray and balancing it on her wing. “Thanks, I guess... for the advice.”

Sea Swirl smiled. “Anytime. Just be yourself and believe in yourself, and you’ll be fine.”

Dash stood up to leave, taking the remaining food and balancing it on a try with her wings. Sea Swirl watched her leave, smiling dreamily. You were right, Cadence, she was a mess. My boss is probably going to kill me for taking such a long break, but it was worth it. Now, the rest is up to her...

Chapter Four

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Four

Dear Vienna

“What do you mean, random screening?” Dash asked.

“It’s just added security measures, miss,” the customs officer droned. She was a dreary grey unicorn, dressed in an equally dismal dark blue uniform. Her eyes were set in a half lidded stare as she examined the dozens of passports that exchanged hooves in the time that Dash had entered the room.

She gestured her hoof to the side. “Please stand aside so we can get this over with quickly.”

“Do you even know who I am?” Dash said.

“Please miss. You’re only making this take longer.”

A second customs worker came along and escorted Dash out of line and behind a curtain, who slapped his hooves away as he nudged her along.

“Hey, watch it buddy.”

Dash felt her bags being lifted off her back and she spun towards the first worker. “Hey, those are mine!”

“It’s part of the extra screening, miss. You needn’t shout.”

“Well I don’t like ponies going through my things without asking and I certainly don’t like ponies touching me without asking either.” Dash shot the stallion a glare, but he simply stared forward like all the other employees.

Over the din of shuffling hooves of the terminal, Dash heard somepony calling her name. “Dash? Where are you?”

“Back here, Twi!”

The curtain fluttered open and Twilight stepped through. She had a concerned look on her face as the stallion reached out and stopped her. “What’s going on here?”

“Security screening, ma’am,” the customs mare said, glaring at her. “You aren’t allowed back here.”

“These two are rifling through my stuff for no reason, Twilight. Make them lay off, will ya?”

When the officer turned to Twilight, her eyes widened considerably. She looked up from the papers she had in front of her and back down again numerous times, her mouth hanging more open each time.

“M-Miss... Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yes... that’s me.”

For the first time since entering the terminal, Dash saw a smile on the mare. The papers fell form her magical grip as it sputtered into nothing and fluttered to the floor as she dipped into a bow. “It is a pleasure to welcome you to Great Brayton, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight took a step back. “R-really? I wasn’t aware my arrival was worth any attention.”

“Oh, but of course! The prized student of Princess Celestia is certainly newsworthy here in Buckingham. If there is anything at all you need help with, do please let me or another of the port employees know.”

Twilight turned to Dash, who was staring in disbelief. “Well, you can start by letting my friend go. I assure you she has nothing in her bags worth such treatment.”

“O-of course, Miss Sparkle. I am terribly sorry about this.”

After a few more sputtered apologies, the mare returned Dash’s bags and her passport and waved them through. After leaving the security area, Twilight let out a strained sigh.

“Are you alright, Dash? I’m so sorry for that. I can’t believe we got separated in that mess.”

Dash chuckled weakly. “Ah, it’s okay. They didn't really do anything.”

“Are you sure? You look a little upset.”

Dash cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I’m a little surprised they know you but not me.”

Twilight slumped her head. “Oh, y-yes that was a little embarrassing, wasn't it?”

“Well... You are Celestia’s student.”

“That’s true. But you are the fastest pegasus in Equestria, one of the greatest hopefuls for the Wonderbolts, and the Element of Loyalty. That should warrant an equal amount of recognition.”

“It’s fine, Twi. Really. Let’s get outside already. My wings are itching to get a workout after that flight.”

Twilight nodded, and they proceeded towards the exit. They hurried through the terminal, Dash racing towards the door. She passed through and froze in the sunlight that beamed down in the next room. The ceiling was made of glass, revealing the clear blue sky above.

“Almost there, Dash,” Twilight said. “Just a few steps more.”

“You’re telling me! I need to get up there. My wings are going crazy.”

They moved along out the glass ceilinged chamber into one final lobby, before finally being greeted to the true sky above them. Rainbow Dash flared her wings instinctually, stretching them in the gentle breeze that hit her upon exiting the enclosed harbor. She began to flap them in rhythm, when she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

“Wait one second, Dash.”

“I don’t know if I can do that, Twi.” Dash twirled around in her hover to see what Twilight wanted. She had a small, heart-shaped necklace in front of her, hovering in her magic. The purple gemstone in the setting was flashing brightly every few seconds. “Uh, Twi. What’s that?”

“I had a feeling you would want to go off on your own from time to time on this trip, so I brought these.” She floated the necklace over Dash’s head and hung it around her neck. Dash looked at the tiny gem and noticed Twilight was wearing one as well, although its gem was red.

“They’re scrying gems. I’ve attuned them to each other, so they will glow brighter and more frequently the closer they are to each other. This way, if we get separated, we can still find each other.”

Dash scratched her head. “Wow, Twilight. That sounds really cool... But, uh... why are they shaped like this?”

Twilight chuckled. “They were the only ones left in that size. I hope you don’t mind.

Dash swallowed. “N-no, it’s cool. I think I can handle wearing this for a while.”

Twilight smiled. “Now you can go flying whenever you want, and you can still find me when you’re done.”

“T-that’s awesome, Twi. I’m definitely going to use it now.”

“I thought you might. I’m going to head to our hotel, but I might wander through the markets on my way.”

“Sounds good, Twi. I’ll probably be a bit. Three days without flying has built up a pretty big appetite, if you know what I mean.”

“Of course, Dash. I would probably feel the same if I couldn’t use magic for three days.”

Dash heard Twilight laugh behind her, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn back, her face still burning at the touch. Instead, she increased the rhythm of her wings, inching towards the sky.

“One last thing about the necklace, Dash. If you feel it get warm, that means I’m asking for you to come back. So try and pay attention, it might be an emergency.”

Dash felt her wings try and lock up and knock her out of the sky. Heat up? She could almost feel her face glowing now, and hastened her ascent. “N-no problem, Twi. I won't be long, I promise.”

Without another word, Dash took off into the sky.

*****

After dozens of spins and dives in the sky over Buckingham, Dash was winding up a well practiced routine. It was something simple, for her at least. It was everything a training daredevil needed to be on top, dizzying rolls, razor sharp turns and powerful dives. The wind rushing past her was exactly the thing she needed. She felt the three days worth of tension fade away in the cool air, and she could finally think clearly as her adrenaline climbed.

I really have to be more careful; I almost lost my cool back there. Thank Celestia Twilight hasn’t noticed, but I doubt my streak’ll keep up for much longer. She climbed higher, diving through the clouds and savoring the cool moisture on her face.

Dash let out a sigh of relief as her mind and body finally calmed down. She plopped down onto the nearest cloud and relaxed, stretching every inch of her body overtop the fluffy mass. So, how am I going to handle this trip? Sea Swirl didn’t really give me much to go on...

Dash envisioned the past weeks she had spent with Twilight in her mind. The Cloudsdale Cloud Carving Contest, the Canterlot book festival, even a Wonderbolts show. They had spent so much time together, and Dash felt closer to Twilight more than she ever did before. Yet Twilight did not.

Not once had she noticed a kind gesture from Dash as anything more as something a friend would do. Holding the door for her, laughing at a joke she didn’t understand, none of it seemed to register for Twilight. Spend more time with her huh? Not exactly groundbreaking. Guess it’s not like there is much else to do on this trip.

Dash sighed. But I need to do something a bit more forward, at least to show that I care a bit more than ‘just a friend’. But what?

The necklace around her neck tingled. She scooped it up and held it to her eyes. It glowed a gentle purple, shining brighter in the sunlight.

She scoffed. It just had to be a heart, didn’t it?

With a bat of her hoof, the setting spun on its chain. She sighed and lied back down. Maybe I should get something for her?

This might not have been a gift, but I should at least do something...

A gust of wind blew over the cloud, rustling her fur and feathers. She stretched her shoulders, wincing as her sore muscles rebelled against her. But I really should finish my routine.

She rolled over on the cloud and peeked her head over the edge, staring into the city below. She whistled quietly as she scanned the streets below. Wow, it’s way bigger than I thought. I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier.

An idea formed in Dash’s mind. Maybe I could go down for a bit and get something really fast. Then I’d have loads of time to fly. She grinned. Yeah, that will totally work.

The wind picked up again, and Dash extended her wings. The breeze caught her and rolled her off the cloud and into the air. Gravity took hold as she plummeted towards the ground in a harrowing dive. The great city grew in seconds, and after a sufficient fall, she spread her wings and slowed herself.

After a few spins and twirls to siphon off her speed, she flapped her wings slowly to brake directly above a quiet street. Her wings fluttered gently to coast her along, as she looked around at the sights.

Small stores lined the quiet neighborhood road. The sounds of bells jingled everywhere as doors and cash registers opened. Shopkeepers stood in front of their stores, shouting their stocks for all to hear.

There’s gotta be something here she’d like.

She lowered her hover down to street level so she could read the names of stores and see their wares. The first she noticed was a small grocer. Its workers were hard at work setting out their fruits and vegetables in baskets that lined the front of her store.

I could bring her lunch... She shook her head. No, that’s lame. That hardly matches a necklace. She’s probably already eaten.

She drifted past the grocer in search of other stores. She passed a blacksmith, showing a wide selection of freshly forged horseshoes. They were pristinely polished and reflected the bright light of the noon sun. Eh, a set of nice horseshoes are kinda special, but I don’t know her size. Either I get it wrong and waste bits, or I get it right and she thinks it’s weird that I did know it.

Dash passed a store that sold cookware, and another that carried parchments. One sold dolls and another had chimes. Every store either had something she wasn’t sure Twilight would like, and others that she wasn’t sure Twilight already had.

She felt like somepony was laughing at her by the time she reached a small store that sold expensive gems and jewelry. The store window hosted a large variety of rare diamonds and gems, as well as silver and gold settings.

Dash groaned. I’m trying to get Twilight something nice to thank her for this necklace, not upgrade into a marriage proposal!

A loud bell chimed, distracting Dash from her thoughts. she searched for its source, her gaze falling onto the enormous bell tower. It chimed again, and again until it finally went silent after its twelfth ring. Dash’s face sank into worry. Has it already been an hour? Twilight must be getting worried about me by now. I better get back.

Dash cast one look into the sky and sighed. So much for finding some extra flying time. She spun around in the air, and with a pump of her wings, rocketed off back the way she came.

*****

Rainbow Dash came to a halt above a wide street. Down below was a thick crowd of ponies, oblivious to her fluttering up above. She scanned through them, up and down the long streets, trying to find the one pony on her mind. The necklace around her neck glowed brightly, but Twilight wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Ugh,” Dash said. “Why does this city have to be so big?!”

She floated lower to the ground and hovered down the road. Her eyes kept a close watch on the amulet, its rhythm steadily rising. Well, at least I’m heading the right way.

She floated along, watching the crowd below. Dozens of small carts were scattered about, and dozens more ponies flocked around them. They shouted and yelled, but Dash couldn’t make out the slightest bit of the garbled mess. Coin exchanged hooves and merchandise flew back and forth between merchant and customer in a mess of screaming, shoving and bargaining.

Even the markets in Ponyville aren’t this crazy. Dash smirked, but it instantly faded when her necklace began to shimmer.

Twilight is close. Really close. She squeezed the trinket in her hooves as she stared down into the crowd with worry. She’s probably in this mess. I need to hurry and find her.

Her wings surged her ahead over the crowds as she returned to her search. They thinned slowly as she went along, and her amulet continued to glow brighter.

She’s got to be here. Somewhere.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Dash flared her wings wide, bracing against the wind. She spun and banked, skimming the edge of a protruding sign with her side before she finally came to a hover above the street. The gem around her neck swung around, and she noticed it was burning brightly as the voice called out again.

“Rainbow Dash! I’m down here!”

She turned to look, and across the street from her was Twilight, smiling and waving. Dash couldn’t help but smile herself, and pushed herself towards the ground with a flick of her feathers.

She landed beside Twilight, who immediately wrapped her legs around her for a hug. Dash’s face heated up and she strained to keep it from showing.

“Uh, hey, Twi,” she said. “I guess you missed me?”

Twilight smiled. “I wasn’t worried, if that’s what you mean. But I’m glad you’re back. Getting through these streets has been slow.”

Dash glanced back at the milling crowds. “I see what you mean. How much farther to the hotel is it from here?”

Twilight floated out a folded piece of paper from her bags. It crinkled as she unfolded it carefully, opening it for Dash to see.

“The map says it’s only nine more blocks away.”

“Cool.” Dash looked up from the map. Twilight wasn’t paying attention to her. Instead, she was staring at a storefront just beside them.

Dash pointed a hoof at the door. “Did you want to look inside?”

Twilight regarded the shop with a hasty look. “I shouldn’t. It would be best if we got to our hotel now. Carrying these bags is starting to take its toll on my back.”

“Here,” Dash said. “Let me get that for you.” She reached over Twilight’s back for her saddlebags.

Twilight shied away. “Are you sure? Even with the enchantment, the books are still quite heavy.”

“Hah. I had more books than you, Twi, and I’m just fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m built for this kind of thing.”

Twilight nodded and lifted the bags off her back and onto Dash’s. She let a quiet oof escape her mouth “See? Nothin’ to it. Now that your back is secured, we can go in for a sec.” Dash moved towards the door and opened it. Twilight watched her hold the door open, and nodded appreciatively.

“Ok.” She grinned. “Just a few minutes, then off to the hotel.”

The two stepped inside the store. The bell gave a quiet chime as the door shut softly behind them. A pegasus mare behind the front counter looked up at the two, smiling. “Welcome to ‘Quill and Quire’! Can I help you two with anything?”

“We’re just going to look around, if that’s alright,” Twilight replied.

The mare adjusted her glasses and raised an eyebrow. “Equestrians?”

“Why yes, we are. How could you tell?”

She laughed. “It’s the accent, miss. I’d reckon you won’t meet many here can’t tell you ain’t from ol’ Buckin’am.”

“Oh... I see.” Twilight shuffled her hooves awkwardly.

“I’m just teasin’, dearie. Tell me if you see anythin’ ya like.”

Twilight returned the smile and wandered to the shelves. Dash remained at the front, looking at the titles on display near the counter.

She looked up to the shopkeeper. “Do you have any Daring Do?”

The mare turned her head, frowning. “Darin’ Do? Well... that may be a wee problem.” The mare had an apologetic look on her face as Dash’s ears fell. “Darin’s a big seller ‘ere in Buckin’am, since the author’s local. The little ’uns love that Darin’: so much they clean me out each time a new book comes out.”

“Oh...”

“But, I might ‘ave somethin’ else, dear. Different author, but very similar to Darin’, if you’d like to give it a try.”

“Hmm.” Dash scratched her chin. She hadn’t read much else besides Daring Do since she had become enamoured with reading. Breaking into reading was already hard enough, but a new series? Could she try something new?

Like with Twilight? Dash’s mind wandered back to what she had discussed earlier, with Sea Swirl. The strange mare had told her much, but all of it required at least one thing: for Dash to do something about it.

She shook her head. This isn’t the same. This is just a book, not asking Twilight out.

But what if it is? What if it’s the same fear? The fear of change? The fear of something new, and having no idea how to handle it?

It isn’t the same!

Sure it isn’t. Keep telling yourself that. As long as you keep it bottled up, as long as you don’t even make the slightest move forward, you aren’t getting anywhere.

“Dearie? Is everything alright?”

Dash shook her head again, and brought her gaze to the shopkeeper. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” She glanced down at the mare’s hooves. They held a grey covered book etched with silver. “I’ll take it. Never too late to try something new, right?”

The mare nodded and laid the book down to open her register. The machine clicked and chimed, when Dash heard a loud snap from the back of the store. She and the owner turned their heads towards the sound and moved towards it.

Near the back, was Twilight, standing in front of a small chest. Her eyes were impossibly wide and her mouth was hanging open.

“Findin’ everythin’ alright, dearie?” the shopkeeper asked.

Twilight spun around towards them. She pointed to the chest. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Ah.” The shopkeeper approached the tiny box with a smile on her lips. “Ya fancy this ol’ writin’ set, do ya?”

“Do I!? This is the one of the pewter-cast quills made by Sir Gryphon du Pond. There is no quill that matches his kind of quality, and I’ve been dying to have one since I learned how to write!”

“I’ll take that as a yes, then. Did you want it? Shame to say, not many ‘round ‘ere have much interest in writin’. I’ve ‘ah these beauties for some time now.”

“How much?”

The mare sealed the chest again and scratched her chin. “An antique like this doesn’t come cheap, dearie. A set this size, and of this quality? I cannot in good conscience part with it for less than five hundred bits.”

“Five h-hundred?” Twilight snapped open her saddlebags and pulled out her coin purse. It jingled and bulged as she opened it and looked in side. When she looked back up, a crestfallen expression overtook her once excited face. “T-that will take up almost all my souvenir money.”

“I thought this trip was paid for, Twi,” Dash added.

“It’s only for traveling expenses.” Twilight levitated the booklet from her bags, showing Dash the seal on its cover. “I can only use this to pay for food, travel costs and hotel fees.” She glanced at the chest of quills and sighed. “This, unfortunately, is neither. If I buy this now, I won’t be able to get anything for the others. I can’t be that selfish.”

Twilight stared longingly at the box and began to turn away towards the door. Dash watched her move. It was slow, laced with defeat and sadness, and she felt her insides wrenching to see it.

Make the first move, her mind echoed. Show the interest. Not with words, but with actions.

Twilight almost made it past the shopkeeper when Dash grabbed her.

“Then let me buy it for you.”

Twilight stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”

“Look at me, Twi, this is my serious face. You want something nice, and I want to buy it for you.”

“Why did you bring money if you thought it was all paid for?”

“Rarity told me to.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I guess I never really thought about it at the time.” She went into her bags and took out her own satchel of coins, placing the payment on the counter. “Five hundred, right?”

The shopkeeper nodded. “For the generous miss, I’ll make it four. It isn’t often I see such generosity in this store. Just don’t tell anypony, or else they’d think I’d gone bloomin’ mad.”

Dash smirked. “Thanks.” She walked over to the box and picked it up, placing it into Twilight’s trembling hooves.

She stared at the box in her grip for a silent while, before looking up at the one who gave it to her. “Dash...l... I don’t know how to repay you for this.”

Dash chuckled weakly as she rubbed her stomach. “You can start by using that book thing to buy me some food. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”

Twilight laughed, placing the precious box within the safety of her enchanted bags. She hugged Dash tightly, before leading her out the door of the bookstore. “Come on. I know just the place.”

Chapter Five

Dreams and Disasters

by Quillery

Chapter Five

The Yacht Club

After a day of touring the city, Dash and Twilight wandered down the quiet evening streets of Buckingham. Twilight pointed out an idling carriage driver to Dash, and they quickly trotted over to him. He nodded his head at their approach, tipping his hat and smiling. “Evenin’. Where can I take you this fine night, missus?”

“Buckingham Palace, please,” Twilight said.

The driver frowned. “Uh, beggin’ your pardon, miss, but it is a bit unseemly to be bringin’ tourists to Buckin’am Palace this time o’ night.”

Twilight withdrew the sunburst booklet and showed it to the driver. “It’s ok. We’re expected.”

The driver’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the book, eventually shaking himself out his his stupor. “Right then... Buckin’am Palace it is then. Hop in and we’ll be off.” He moved over to the door and opened it, allowing the two mares to enter. They climbed in, and before long, the carriage was off.

Dash and Twilight sat opposite from each other. Twilight stared out the window, watching the city go by. Dash on the other hoof, tried to keep her attention fixed outside, but found herself stealing glances at her friend. She felt the heat rising in her face and tried to rub it away, but it only dulled the feeling.

When Twilight suddenly looked her way, Dash tried to avoid her eyes. “Something on your mind, Dash?”

Drat. Dash scratched the back of her neck as she glanced at Twilight. “I was, uh... wondering what else you could tell me about this place.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well...” Dash racked her mind for something that would deter Twilight’s curiosity. “We’ve been here over a day, and I feel like I haven’t learned anything about this country. I kinda expected you to be in full Twilight mode and explaining everything.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you were interested in that sort of thing.”

“Well, hanging out with you lately has shown me that I should try new things. So who better to learn than from Twilight Sparkle, student of Celestia?”

Twilight’s face brightened. “Well, if you put it that way... That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

Whew... Dash thought, relieved. Nice save, Dash. Now hopefully Twi will—

Dash’s eyes sprang fully open as Twilight stood from her seat and sat beside her. Her horn glowed as it tugged at her bags, pulling out a large book. Dash fought the urge to shy away from Twilight, knowing such an act would put Twilight even further on the assault for the truth. Thankfully, Twilight seemed far more interested in her book to noticed Dash’s glowing face. Easy, Dash. Deep breaths, you can do this without it getting weird. Just keep... asking questions... that should keep her occupied.

“Now... where to start?” Twilight flipped through the tome, scanning the pages at an impossible speed. Even Dash couldn’t keep up with the contents of the pages, until Twilight stopped on one near the middle. “Well, I suppose the beginning is a good start.” She giggled.

“Great Brayton was the first full-fledged colonization effort after the founding of Equestria. The natural territories of Equestria were spreading fast, and it wasn’t long before the founding tribes began considering outside lands for further colonisation for ponies.”

“Why, though?” Dash asked. “We’re barely filling up Equestria now; it’s not like we needed the space.”

Twilight smiled. “Good question. From what I’ve been able to find, it was originally a coalition of inquisitive earth and unicorn ponies interested in seeing what was beyond the ocean. Pegasi didn’t have much interest in crossing oceans at the time, so the first settlers of Great Brayton were actually just earth and unicorn ponies.”

“I guess I can see why, since the ocean sky is apparently dangerous,” Dash said sarcastically. Twilight flicked an ear at her tone and nudged her appropriately before continuing.

“Anyway, the settlers were impressed with the diversity of the agricultural gifts that the land had to offer, so the colonies expanded quickly. Buckingham was the first real city and, according to the records, it was built in only three years.”

“And this was before Celestia?”

“Yes. In fact, before any alicorns at all. All of the great eastern nations were fully developed long before any of the princesses arrived. They still recognised Equestria as the sovereign power, so when Celestia and Luna were integrated within the overarching society, they all were fairly quick to accept them as their reigning leaders.”

“So why are we meeting with a duke and duchess if Celestia is the leader?”

“I was getting to that. It wasn’t long after Celestia and Luna came along that they visited all the east nations. By that time, they had grown very powerful, either economically or culturally. Some colonies even showed skill enough to defend themselves in battle, having fought many wars in their colonization efforts.”

“They had wars? Really?”

“Yes they did. Not everything on Equus is as peaceful as ponies. Harmony has been a core concept of our philosophy since Hearth’s Warming, but that doesn’t mean we won’t protect ourselves if need be.”

Dash’s wings thrummed. “Ponies fighting wars. That sounds so cool. What did they fight?”

Twilight smirked. “How about I save that for when we actually get to places where wars were fought?”

“Aww," Dash pouted. “Oh, okay.”

Twilight giggled. “To answer your other question though, after Celestia and Luna saw what the colonies were capable of on their own power, they granted them amnesty from the sovereign Equestrian Crown, giving them complete autonomy if they wanted it.”

“Auto—what now?”

“Autonomy. It means they were their own country, and could make their own laws and regulations free of Celestia’s rule. Simply put, they were given the freedom to do what they wanted as an independant nation.”

“Wow.”

“They were grateful for the independance, but to this day, they all hold the Equestrian Crown in incredibly high regard. Celestia may not be their legitimate princess anymore, but they still treat her like she is, out of respect.”

“So that’s why we have a free pass to talk to their leaders?”

“I wouldn’t say its a ‘free pass’, but it definitely gives us a bit more leeway when dealing with ponies of high status than typical tourists.”

“Well, from the sound of that customs agent yesterday, I bet we wouldn’t even need that booklet thingy to get around. I mean, we did save the world three times already.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have the extra paperwork to make sure.”

Dash nodded before she continued. “So, what are these royals like?”

Twilight scratched her chin. “I’m not completely sure. Celestia had only met the Duke of Cranberry once before.”

Dash snickered. “The Duke of Cranberry?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, his family has reigned over this country for centuries.

“Everything’s about cranberries with these ponies, isn’t it?”

“Gotta ‘ave somethin’ to eat eventually, dear,” the driver interrupted. Dash and Twilight turned to the window. The driver has his head turned towards them. “Iffin’ ya beg me interruption, that is. I couldn’t help listenin’. Not sure I fancy that book you’re readin’ there miss.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with it?”

The driver cleared his throat. “Well, Buckin’am weren’t made in no land o’ rainbows and sunshine, that’s fer certain. Life in those days was hard. Harder still without them pegasi.”

Dash shook her head in disbelief. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean, without pegasi?”

“Well, Commander Hurricane ‘ad a hoof innit, that’s fer certain.”

“How so?” Twilight asked.

“Well… the three tribes ‘ad their own reasons fer comin’ ‘cross the sea. Earth ponies wanted to expand, unicorns wanted to learn. But them pegasi, they wanted to fight.”

“Fight? Fight what?”

“Them windies, fer one. They wern’t flyin’ off on their own anytime soon. But there were plenty o’ thing for the pegasi to beat their wings against. Unfortunately fer the rest of us, we had to make to with our own know-how to keep ourselves goin’. Plantin crops, bringin’ our own water… Wern’t easy when we came to rely on pegasi fer so long.”

“What about Hearths Warming? I thought everypony was getting along?”

The driver guffawed. “Do they still put on that old fairy tale? Can’t say I’ve seen that story in ages. In those times, getting to work together didn’t happen overnight, and it certainly didn’t ‘ave as much singin’.”

Dash frowned and crossed her forelegs. “Hmph. Pegasi ditching their friends… So uncool.”

“Gotta agree wit’ ya, missy. The pegs of old might a’ well ‘ave carved our graves when they left us to rot. Iffin’ it weren’t fer earth ponies bein’ as stubborn as mules and unicorns being so smart, we’d a been done for.”

“That sounds awful,” Twilight said. “I can see why that might not have made it into my book…” She looked down at it, shook her head and returned it to her bags. “I hope the book we’re receiving will be more accurate. I have no use for a history book that isn’t right, even if it’s not much of a happy story.”

“I kinda preferred the happy story,” Dash said quietly, rubbing her hooves together. “At least pegasi didn’t sound like colossal jerks in it.”

Twilight was silent. She stared at Dash with a smile, but it looked strained.

Dash raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, Twi?”

“I’m wondering… If their history with pegasi is so uneasy, what must the royalty think of them?"

“What do you mean?”

“Well… What if the Duke or his family don’t have high opinions of pegasi?”

Dash didn’t answer right away. She stared forward at the opposite seat, tightening her grip around her barrel. “So, you think he might not like me all that much?”

Twilight sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know for sure.”

“Well, that makes this interesting.”

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I can handle this part by myself if you want to stay at the hotel. I won’t mind, really.”

“No, it’s fine. If he doesn’t like pegasi, that’s his problem. I won’t be ditching my friend, no matter what.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Dash. Who knows, maybe you might change his opinion?”

“Heh, yeah. I am the greatest pegasus in Equestria after all. That has to count for something.”

“Just try and be on your best behavior. Like you would act around Celestia.”

“Right… Like Celestia. I’ll try.”

The carriage shook as it coasted to a stop. Dash and Twilight watched the driver unhinged himself and trot over to the door. It swung open and he dipped into a bow. “Buckin’am Palace, missus.”

“Thank you, sir,” Twilight said. She turned to Dash with a smile. “Well, here we are.”

Dash exited the carriage after Twilight, slowly following behind. She heard a quiet gasp from Twilight, and once out of the coach, saw why. Twilight was staring in awe at the towering gates to the palace. Even in the dwindling light of dusk, the front of the building was brightly lit by torches and magical glows.

"Wow...” Twilight said. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah...” Dash said. “It’s almost nicer than Canterlot Castle.”

“Sorry to be a bother, miss,” the driver continued. “But will that be all?”

Twilight turned to the driver and nodded. “Yes, thank you very much for bringing us here. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

He shook his head. “No trouble at all miss. It be a pleasure to help friends of the duchy.”

“We’ll find our own way back.”

With that, the driver bowed his head, and returned to his carriage. Dash listened to the wheels rattling on the stony street fade away as the driver vanished from sight. When she turned back, she saw Twilight was already heading to the gate. She hurried after her, and caught up just as they arrived at a stone booth before the iron maw of the portcullis. Two large stallions dressed in red and white exited the booth and stood before the two mares.

“What business do you have with House Cranberry at this time of day, miss?”

Twilight bowed, and Dash followed suit. “We are Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash of Canterlot. I believe we are expected by the Duke and Duchess.”

The larger guard frowned slightly as he narrowed his eyes at Twilight. The smaller one had a pensive look on his face for a moment, before his eyes widened and he started to whisper in his partner’s ear. He listened intently, nodding occasionally, before sighing.

“Of course, Lady Sparkle. Apologies, I must have forgotten. Please, come in. The duchy awaits.”

The two guards stood aside, one pulling a lever that raised the iron gate. They saluted stiffly, and Twilight started through towards the palace with Dash close behind.

*****

“Announcing Lady Twilight Sparkle and Miss Rainbow Dash of Equestria!”

The dining hall went suddenly quiet as the barker’s voice echoed through the chamber. Dozens of seated ponies descended into whispers and mumblings between themselves, as the newcomers slowly and shakily trotted into the room.

“That was quite the entrance...” Dash whispered to Twilight, huddling as close to her friend as possible.

“Great Brayton has a tradition of large-scale dinner parties. Knowing who’s who is very important for functions like this.”

Dash looked around. The room was almost as large as the Cloudesium. A white marble table sat in the middle of the room and stretched nearly the entire length of the whole chamber. She scanned the crowd of ponies looking up at the two of them descending into the room. As she did, she noticed something unsettling. Out of the dozens of ponies that sat at the table and served the food, not a single one of them had a pair of wings.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I thought this was a private dinner.”

Twilight smiled weakly. “I thought so too, but I guess the duchy are more busy than I thought. I’m sure everything will be—”

“Lady Sparkle! So wonderful of you to join us!”

Twilight and Dash turned to see a unicorn couple approaching them from the head of the table. They were both regally dressed, the mare in a flowing white gown stitched with shining red sequins. Her mane was tightly braided, yet still skirted the floor with its ruby locks. Everything about her seemed to shine in the bright lights of the hall, including her smile.

The stallion was far more soberly appointed. He wore a red tunic with a gold embroidered sash along its front. Golden medals glistened on his suit that glowed along side his partner’s radiance. His ruby mane was short and wavy, combed back and well groomed.

Twilight dipped into a low bow and Dash followed suit. “Your Royal Highness,” she said. “It is an honor to be invited to your palace.”

The duchess smiled. “It is an equal honor to have Princess Celestia’s prized student here tonight. Please, rise. There is no need for such formality here, isn’t that right dear?”

The duke gave a gruff chuckle. “Somepony must keep to formalities, my dear. But yes, you are an esteemed guest here, Lady Twilight.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Twilight responded.

The duke smiled briefly, when his eyes turned from Twilight to Dash. She watched him carefully as his eyes flicked over her. She couldn't be certain, but she could have sworn his smile crinkled slightly. Was Twilight right about this guy?

His smile widened again as he gestured to the head of the table. “Come, please sit with us. We have much we would love to discuss.”

The group of them traveled the length of the room towards the front. Dash noticed a fair number of eyes following them, but Twilight was too interested in speaking with the duchess to notice. Dash had no reason to feel so nervous about dinner with royalty, and yet her stomach felt like doing backflips.

The four of them took their seats, Dash sitting next to Twilight and the duke and duchess next to each other at the head of the table. A silver dish cover sat on their platters, which Twilight and Dash eyed expectantly.

“Go ahead.” The duchess pointed at the platters. “We had the kitchens prepare our finest cranberry salad for your meal.” With a glow of her horn, she lifted off the covers and revealed the delectable greenery beneath. Dash’s eyes widened at the mix of green and reds in the salad, and she found it incredibly difficult to not drool.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Twilight said, taking a fork in her magic and tasting the meal.

“Please, darling,” the duchess giggled. “You may call me Cordial. My husband may be an old stiff for the traditions, but I prefer my own name.”

“O-of course, Your Hi—I mean, Cordial.”

Dash chuckled to herself and went back to her food. The silvery cutlery caught her eyes, and her mind wandered for moment. Being on my best behavior probably doesn’t mean stuffing my face.

Dash carefully flicked out her right wing and brought it over the table. With a twist of her primaries, she snatched the fork. She smiled that she hadn’t forgotten her inane talent, and stabbed the fork into the salad with a triumphant flourish.

When she brought it up to her mouth, however, she noticed the Duke was staring at her. His expression was blank, but she noticed that he was looking directly at her fork.

He grunted. “Is that a common method of dining for pegasi?”

Dash narrowed her eyes on the Duke. His expression hadn’t changed, but he was now looking directly at her. She glanced at Twilight, who was looking at her nervously.Dash put the fork down. She looked at her wing tip and twiddled her primaries again. “Not really. It takes a long time for a pegasus to control their wings like this. It came a bit more naturally for me since I train regularly.”

“That’s amazing, Dash.” Twilight said. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Heh. My parent’s made me learn it.”

The Duke grunted again. "I trust it is a clean method of eating? "

“No, it’s fine.” Dash said, holding up a hoof. “Wing maintenance is a crucial to staying on top of my game. I preen my my feathers no less than three times a day to keep them clean and free of ruffled feathers. You could eat off my wings if you wanted to.”

Dash smirked at the end of her statement, watching the Duke. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

“Miss Dash,” the Duchess cut in. “I understand that you are quite the athlete back in Equestria?”

Dash sat up sharply. “Huh? Oh, y-yeah, right. I hold the current airspeed record, with recorded super-spectrum flight both descending and ascending.”

“Super-spectrum...” The duchess gasped. “A Sonic Rainboom? Really? We heard the rumors, but I must say, it is an honor to meet the pony able to perform such a feat in person.”

The Duke scoffed. “To break the spectrum barrier would be impossible for any pony. Anypony can claim to have done it.”

Dash shifted her jaw and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, it took me a few years to get it down, but I can practically do it in my sleep now. Even did it for a wedding once.”

“That must have been quite the show,” the duchess said.

“Dash is a very special pony to Equestria,” Twilight added. “She’s shown what’s possible through perseverance and determination, and I think that is a valuable lesson for anypony to learn.”

“Well said, Miss Sparkle. I see Celestia’s tutelage has yielded a truly bright mind. She is very lucky to have a student like you.”

Twilight smiled. “I’m very fortunate indeed to have her as a teacher.” She turned to Dash and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"And to have somepony like Dash as a friend.”

Dash coughed and slammed a hoof to her mouth to keep from spitting up the food she nearly choked on. She felt her stomach twisting further into a knot, as she forced a smile and waved away Twilight’s sudden look of concern. “I’m fine. Really.” There’s that word again...

“Best be careful with those cranberries, my dear.” The duchess laughed. “They are a bit bitter if you aren’t prepared.”

“N-no, its fine. They’re awesome. I’ve already had a few buckets of them. I’m finding it kinda hard to help myself now...heh.”

“Well, we do strive to supply the best, and I daresay this year’s harvest is going to be our best yet. A shame you came so early in the summer, Twilight dear. The cranberry harvest is something nopony should miss.”

“I definitely would love to see it, but I have a friend back home who I promised to help with her harvest once the fall comes around.”

“Really? What sort of harvest?”

“Apples. My friend Applejack runs one of the most successful apple orchards in Equestria. After a bit of difficulty when I first met her, we all promised to lend her a hoof each year.”

“Yeah,” Dash added, smirking. “She nearly catapulted me into the atmosphere last time she did it herself.”

Twilight giggled. “I’m sorry to say she wasn’t able to come with us on this voyage. She spends most of the summer making preparations and hiring an appropriate amount of help for when fall approaches.”

The Duchess nodded. “I can understand completely. My husband and I take part in the harvest each year, and it only seems to get harder. So many more mouths to feed, and we still have so much space to grow.”

“You guys help out? Even though you’re royalty?”

The Duke cleared his throat. “Yes, most in our position would avoid such labor, but the cranberry is part of what makes Great Brayton and Buckingham what it is. Our house has watched over this land for centuries, and we have continued the tradition that the cranberry harvest is something for all to take part in, rich or poor, prince or pauper.” His eyes shifted to Dash. “Despite the difficulties history has given us.”

Dash clenched her teeth and took a deep breath. Like I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just take it easy, Dash. He’s just trying to get to you. Just ignore it.

“Speaking of…” the Duchess said. “Our librarians have prepared ‘The Reign of Cranberry House’ for you, Miss Sparkle. We can handle the exchange after dinner if you’d like.”

“That would be perfect,” Twilight said. “I have a copy of ours here with me as well. I’m looking forward to a more up-to date copy your history. I have a feeling mine is a bit outdated.”

“Heh, yeah,” Dash said. “Our carriage driver was correcting all kinds of things that Twi was reading to me.”

The Duke raised an eyebrow. “Miss Twilight was… reading to you?”

Dash tilted her head. What’s he getting at now? She glanced at Twilight, but she was engrossed in conversation with the Duchess. “Well, I asked her to tell me about this place. I was never really that big into reading history.”

“A limiting decision. There is much to learn from the annals of history if one bothers to look.”

“Well, yeah,” Dash said. “I read a lot more now, thanks to Twilight. I always thought it was boring, but then I got into it. But I still have to keep up with my training. You don’t get into the Wonderbolts by reading books all day.”

That should shut you up, you old windbag.

Dash grinned as the Duke’s face became subdued. “The Wonderbolts… That is an aerial performance team, is it not?”

Dash nodded. “Yup, the fastest in the world. I’ve been training my whole life to join them.”

“Hrm. I recall them putting on a few shows in the country some time ago. I couldn’t be bothered to attend, however. There was so much more important things to do than to watch some pegasi spinning in the air all day.”

Dash’s eye twitched. Her body shuddered as she drew in a shaky breath. “W-well, stunt flying isn’t for everypony, I guess. I’ve loved it ever since my dad took me to my first show. Ever since I got my cutie mark, it’s been my dream to join them.”

“But how does it contribute to the nation? There is always work to be done, food to be grown, buildings to be built in maintained. How can a country operate when it wastes its time funding exhibitionists when it could feed thousands?

“And does Equestria not rely on them as a form of protection? I heard that a dragon rampaged through on of their villages once, and these Wonderbolts did little to protect it. I certainly hope that beast was dealt with appropriately.”

“Excuse me?!” Dash said.

“What use is an organization that spends its time flitting about in the sky when she should be learning to properly protect Equestria when it is called for? Or is there a habit of allowing such beasts to wander freely when they should be put down?”

“Don’t you dare insult my friends!”

“Of course you would want to be friends with such a preposterous group.”

“I’m not talking about the Wonderbolts! I’m talking about Spike!”

“Who? Is that one of their leaders?”

“The dragon! Spike is the dragon, and he’s one of my friends!”

The Duke chortled. “Oh, how amusing. You name your monsters? Next you are going to tell me that you keep them as pets.”

Dash’s eye twitched again She felt her face contorting in anger, no matter how hard she fought against it. The Duke’s eyes narrowed before he started laughing louder.

“You do, don’t you? How unbelievably priceless! I—”

“Why you!” Dash flared her wings and with a single beat of them she rocketed over to the Duke. She shoved a hoof against his chest. “The Wonderbolts aren’t a waste of time!” Dash slammed her hooves on the table. “I tried to be nice about this, but insulting the Wonderbolts and my friends is where I draw the line. Did you know that dragon is also Twilight’s best friend? Or one of Celestia’s? Maybe if you actually talked to ponies that live today instead of reading some dusty olds books, you would know that! If you hate pegasi so much, say it to my face, or not at all.”

Dash stopped shouting, if only to catch her breath. As she did though, she noticed something had changed in the room: silence. The sounds of eating and quiet conversation were gone. All that remained was the sound of silverware clattering to their plates, glasses over turning, and shocked cries.

Everypony was staring at her with widened eyes. The Duchess looked frightened and shied away from Dash. The Duke’s stony expression shifted into a cruel grin.

Twilight’s was the worst. She had a hoof up to her mouth trying to mask her horror on her face. Her ears had folded back, and she slid down in her chair. Dash traced all the way back to her seat, and saw the overturned glasses and flipped plates. Food was strewn about the table, staining the table cloth.

What have I done? I promised her...

The sound of metal snapped Dash’s attention to the sides of the room. Pairs of guards exchanged furrowed looks and started towards her. Her gaze darted between them; then it fell on the exit, and her wings flared open.

“Dash, wait!” Twilight shouted.

It was too late. Dash had already taken to the air and sped towards the doors. She was glad for her speed, because she didn’t want anypony, especially Twilight, to see her tears.

*****

Dash’s flight from the palace didn’t take her far. She found a small cloud high above the palace grounds, which she plopped onto as soon as she could. Her head hung over the edge as she stared down at the city. Thousands of lights sparkled over the darkened city, adding to the calm summer night.

Dash sighed. Well, Dash. You’ve gone and bucked everything up. You just had to scream at him, didn’t you? Now Twilight probably hates me. All I had to do was to behave, and I blew it.

He had it coming. The guy was a jerk. Nopony should get away with insulting you or Twilight. Especially in front of us like that.

Dash grunted. Shut up, you aren’t helping.

She silenced her rampant thoughts and focused on the palace below. Nothing had changed in the time since she left. What had it been? Ten, twenty minutes? More? Not that it mattered. Twilight would have tried to salvage what she could of her mission, then save an earful for her when they met back up at the hotel.

Dash’s hooves tingled against the cloud. Her instincts kicked in and she spun around, coming face to face with Twilight. She stood opposite her, her hooves glowing faintly against the small cloud.

“There you are!” she said, stepping forward and pulling Dash into a hug. “I was so worried about you.”

Dash’s brain skipped a few seconds, before she finally processed what was going on. “T-Twilight? What are you doing here? How did you even find me?”

Twilight broke away from the hug, grinning. She brought a hoof to her neck, and tapped her necklace as it glowed a bright crimson red. “I didn’t have to look far.”

Dash stared at the necklace, and looked down at her own. She then turned away from Twilight, ears wilted against her head. “I’m sorry for what happened back there, Twi.”

“For what? Standing up for yourself?”

Dash turned back, eyes wide. “You aren’t mad?”

Twilight inhaled and let out a long, quiet breath. “I probably should be. I expected him to be a bit sour towards you, but for him to openly attack you and your dreams like that… He wasn’t even being subtle.” Twilight snorted. “I was about to scream at him. After what he said about Spike… You managed to get into him before I did.”

Twilight chuckled weakly, and Dash joined her. They were quiet for a while, staring down into the city below.

“What happened after I left, then?” Dash asked.

Twilight smirked. “You should have seen it. After you left, the Duchess started shouting at him. I never expected someone so nice to yell so loudly. The entire room was frozen in fear at her. The Duke looked like he was about to pass out.”

Dash blinked. The thought of the small, regal mare shouting down her husband crossed through her mind, and she laughed.

“You’re right. I would have loved to have seen that.”

Dash glanced to Twilight’s bags. “So, how did the exchange go?”

Twilight’s horn glowed and the bag popped open. She pulled out a silk wrapped parcel, tied with string. “After she finished shouting, the Duchess took me to the library to complete the exchange. She wanted me to pass on her apologies for the Duke. She knew he had issues with pegasi, but she never knew it was so bad.”

“Hmph. Hopefully he’ll think twice about mouthing off to one. Especially one like me.”

"While she didn’t use the words exactly, I’m fairly certain the Duke is ‘grounded’ for a while. And I’ll definitely be letting Celestia know that the Duke of Cranberry is in need a bit of pegasus rehabilitation training.”

Twilight giggled and Dash quickly joined her. After they finished and caught their breath, they stood next to each other on the cloud, looking down at the twinkling lights.

“So…” Dash said. “What now?”

“Well, we could always watch the stars.”

Dash looked up. The sky above was almost a mirror of the city below. Thousands of lights dotted the inky black above. She smiled. “Sounds great, Twi.”

Chapter Six

Dreams and Disasters

by Quillery

Chapter Six

How I Became the Sea

A bumpy ride was the least of Rainbow Dash’s problems. She lay on her back on the stiff carriage seat as it rattled along on the uneven Buckingham streets. Twilight sat across from her as she read a book on the seat next to her. Dash attempted to watch the street go by from the window above her, but the bright morning sun did its worst to dissuade her eyes. She groaned, hiding behind a foreleg to blot out the offending light.

“Bluh,” she mumbled. “So early.”

“That’s what you get for staying up late watching the stars,” Twilight said, not looking up from her book.

“You did it too!”

Twilight flipped another page aside. “Late night study sessions have been a common occurrence since I learned to do magic. Last night was nothing.”

Dash chuckled. “Says the pony who fell asleep on my roof.”

Twilight finally looked up over to Dash with a smirk. “Oh, hush. We had fun didn’t we?”

“I guess. At least it was a good save from last night.”

Twilight’s smile wrinkled. “Yes. Last night was… unfortunate. I’m glad most of it was salvageable.”

“Let’s hope that dude learns his lesson.”

“Considering the shouting match you and his wife gave him, I doubt he’ll be forgetting it anytime soon.”

The carriage came to a stop. The driver popped the door and peered in with a smile. “Buckingham station, ladies.”

Twilight nodded to the driver, returning all her books to her bags. Dash rolled over and slowly stood back on her hooves, stretching out her tired legs. The driver hovered by the door, reaching in a hoof to help Twilight and Dash out of the carriage.

The station was fairly quiet. The occasional sound of whistles rang out in the distance, as well as the bustling hooves of a morning rush. Dash could see a few other groups of ponies milling around the many walkways outside the station proper. They moved around at an excessively mild pace, moving along stiffly as she had been exiting the hotel.

“At least it’s quiet. I should be able to catch up on some sleep.”

“Well… there might be a few reasons to hold off on your nap, at least for a little bit.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

She watched Twilight step away from the carriage into the street and over to a staircase. Dash followed her up a catwalk that went high above the entrance to the train terminal. She looked out over the rows of tracks that housed dozens of train cars idling in the massive yard. She whistled at the impressive sight.

“What do you see, Dash?”

“A lot of train cars. Way more than I’ve ever seen in one station.”

“Yes. Great Brayton has a fairly large train system, even bigger than Equestria’s. What else?”

“Uh… Not a lot of ponies?”

Twilight giggled and pointed her hoof towards the forward tracks. “Those trains are used in the country, going back and forth between here to other cities in Great Brayton, and even the Shirelands to the north.” Twilight swung her hooves to a separate line. “But we… are going east, on those trains. Notice anything?”

Dash examined the trains Twilight had pointed out, as best as she could from her perch at least. They looked like completely normal trains, sitting on completely normal tracks. She followed the polished steel rails down the yard, stopping when they disappeared into a darkened tunnel at the far side.

“Still not seeing what you mean, Twi.”

Twilight giggled again. “What do you see behind those tunnels?”

Dash shuffled down the catwalk to get a better view of what lay behind the structure housing the darkened tunnel. If there was something there to see, that is. Behind the building was nothing but an endless expanse of water. Dash’s eyes widened and she turned back to Twilight, who had an amused look on her face.

“Water? Where does the tunnel go then?”

“Under it, of course.”

“Under it?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes. The Buckingham to Cheval transit line goes underneath the channel that separates the two countries.”

“That doesn’t sound too good to me, Twi.”

“You aren’t scared of getting wet, are you, Dash?”

“N-no! Can’t I find it a little bit weird that we are willingly getting on a train that goes underwater? Wouldn’t a submarine be smarter? Or maybe a bridge?”

“Well… there are bridges and ferries that would serve the same purpose, but I thought this would be more fun. But if you don’t want to, I could exchange the tickets.”

Dash noted a drop in Twilight’s tone. “N-no, it’s fine, really. It just… caught me by surprise is all.”

Twilight perked up immediately. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to be uneasy about it.”

Dash waved a hoof. “Psh. It’s not like a little water bothers me. Plus, it might be kinda fun in a big underwater tunnel.”

“Well, wait until you see the observation portion.”

Dash tilted her head. “The what?”

Twilight grinned slyly. “You’ll see.” She turned back down the catwalk towards the stairs. Dash followed quickly as they went inside the station. There were a few more ponies inside, most of them wearing blue uniforms. They moved about quickly in between the narrow queues of ponies waiting in line. These waiting travelers approached the booths, reminding Dash of her entrance to Great Brayton.

“Ugh. Can’t anypony in stations have a smile on their face? Pinkie would go all out to liven up this place.”

“Look at it from their perspective, Dash. These ponies deal with thousands of travelers each week, at all times of the day. They don’t have much time to waste to make sure our travels go smoothly.”

“Yeah,” Dash sighed. “You’re right. I guess I would be pretty ragged trying to make trains work on time too.”

“Tickets…” a voice called.

Twilight offered him the sunburst booklet. Like their entrance into Buckingham, the customs agent offered his kind regards to Twilight and Dash, before they moved on.

The two mares moved past the booth and further into the train station. They entered onto a balcony that overlooked a large room. Down below them past several staircases were the numerous platforms that ran the length of the building. Many of them were filled with dozens of bright red train cars, except for one.

At the far end, they could see a car that was painted blue. Where the tracks of the other routes emptied to the west, and back into the city, this one’s track led east. The engine was a far sleeker design, devoid of a boiler or smokestack that they knew was an integral part of the train back home in Ponyville.

“So how does that thing run without a boiler?”

“I believe that type of train is powered by magic. It doesn’t produce exhaust like a coal-fueled engine would, so it doesn’t foul the air we need to breathe down in the tunnels.”

Dash felt a nagging feeling clawing at her gut again. “Okay…”

“Oh, don’t worry. Air is pumped magically into the tunnels. The coal-less train is just an added feature to ensure the trip is as relaxing as possible.”

“If you say so… I’m still not so sure about the whole ‘underwater’ bit.”

“Once we get down there, you’ll see why I wanted to give it a try.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

A whistle sounded loudly from within the room. They spotted a mare pacing beside their train, shouting. “All aboard! The train to Cheval departs in ten minutes! All aboard!”

Twilight and Dash descended the stairs and crossed the platforms towards their train. They mixed in with the many other travelers heading for the same vehicle, only one of them unprepared for the next step in the journey.

*****

The morning express to Cheval chugged along vigorously through darkness. Immediately from leaving the platform and exiting the train station, the five-car locomotive sunk into the depths of the underwater tunnel that Twilight had so affectionately mentioned. Dull lamps lit the small cabins in a gentle glow, drowned out by Twilight’s much more potent light spell as she used it to continue her reading.

Dash yawned and rolled over in her seat, facing Twilight across from her. “Twi, how long is it to Cheval, anyways?”

“About two hours at this speed,” Twilight said.

Dash groaned. “Well, it’s better than three days, I guess.”

Twilight giggled, turning another page of her book. Dash proper her head on a hoof and stared in Twilight’s direction. “Is that the book we got in Buckingham?”

Twilight nodded without looking up. “Yes. It’s very interesting, and far more detailed than anything I had back at Golden Oaks. The duchess was very generous to offer me a second copy.

Dash rolled her eyes and rolled over, when something knocked at the compartment door. She sat up to see it slide open and a stewardess poke her head inside. She had a bright smile on her face and indicated a small cart just beside her. Dash noted rows of food and candies on its shelves, as well as a pot of steaming coffee. “Quelque chose à manger, madames?”

Dash tilted her head. “Huh?” She turned her head to Twilight. “Twi, I don’t know what she’s saying.”

Twilight giggled and turned to the stewardess. “Non, merci. Est-ce que vous avez une journal?”

“Bien sûr.” She nodded and plucked a roll of bound paper from the trolley and offered it to Twilight, who grabbed it with her magic.

“Merci beaucoup,” she said. The stewardess bowed and slid the door shut behind her.

Dash blinked as Twilight took the roll of paper and pulled at the band that bound it. Her eyes wandered from it for a moment and met with Dash’s. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You… speak Prancy?”

Twilight nodded.

“Since when?”

“Rarity taught me. I initially started researching the language after Apple Bloom caught the Cutie Pox. You remember that, right?”

Dash scratched her head. “Yeah… A little bit. Applejack rambled about it for a few days, but I never really got the gist of what happened.”

“Well, one of the fake cutie marks that Applebloom received was the Crest of Cheval, a symbol used to denote Prance and its capital. I was amazed that even a cutie mark could bestow an entire language’s worth of information, which led me to learn that Rarity is a certified teacher of the language.”

“Huh. You think you know everything about a pony.”

Twilight giggled. “Rarity definitely does have an interesting set of skills.”

Dash shrugged. “I bet.” She stretched her body and stared up at the ceiling of the cabin. The roll of paper in Twilight’s grip rustled as she removed the band and opened it.

Dash turned her head to see what Twilight had opened. “Is that a newspaper?”

“Yes,” Twilight responded from behind the sheet of paper. “This one covers news from both Great Brayton and Prance. It never hurts to stay up to date on current—oh my…”

Dash sat up. “What’s up, Twi?”

Twilight lowered the paper, just enough for Dash to see her face. Her eyes were downcast and darting as she scanned the page in front of her, and began to read.

“Buckingham officials are baffled that the Duchess of Cranberry has allowed a pair of Equestrian tourists to leave without questioning after one of the visitors verbally and physically assaulted the Duke of Cranberry, yesterday evening. The circumstances of the event are still under question, as well as the names of the two individuals, believed to be diplomats for the nation of Equestria.

“News of Princess Celestia’s personal student arriving in the country has ponies wondering if the two events are related, but the Duchess has assured that the two events are coincidences.

“Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a pegasus fleeing the palace late last evening, but no further information is known at this time…”

Twilight took a quiet breath as she allowed the paper to fall even further to the ground. Dash stared at her for a moment, before letting out a quiet chuckle. “Heh, one day in Buckingham and we’re already on the front page…”

“Dash, this isn’t funny.”

“What do you mean? I thought everything was ok.”

"We might have salvaged our own reputation with the Duchess, but ponies still talk. I expect at least one of the other nobles at dinner last night were responsible for this article. They even mentioned me!”

“But it said the Duchess didn’t link you to it. You’re fine.”

“There will be plenty of ponies who won’t see it that way. Tabloids are ruthless like that.”

“Pfft. Tabloids are more useful as goat food than reading material, Twi. The stuff they print about the Wonderbolts? It’s a riot. My favorite is the one about Soarin’ and Spitfire breaking up. Those two are as inseparable as the sun and the sky.”

“Dash, you are missing the point. This paper is printed in both Great Brayton and Prance. The odds of the queen seeing this are fairly good. Even if we got out with a brief mention, we might have tarnished our reputation before we’ve even got to meet her.”

Dash waved a hoof. “You know, Twi, I thought you said you were gonna try and not worry so much about stuff like this.”

“This is a perfectly normal thing to worry about!”

“Is it on the same level as disaster-proofing Equestria?” Dash smirked.

Twilight’s eyes widened. She had completely dropped the newspaper now, and stared at the floor. After a while, she slowly raised a hoof and brought it to her chest. She took a quiet breath, and released it with a flourish of her leg.

She looked at Dash with a weak smile. “I guess you’re right. One of these days… Maybe I'll stop stressing over every little thing.”

Dash nodded with a smile. “One day at a time, Twi.”

Dash rolled onto her back and returned her eyes to the window. The curtain had been drawn, not that it needed to be. Outside was a void of black, an occasional flash of light from the many magical sconces that lit the deep-sea tunnel. She drummed her hooves on the wooden panel above her head.

As she lay there though, a flash of blue outside caught her attention. She rolled over, turning her full attention to the window. The flash of blue whizzed by again and again, the intervals growing shorter with each pass. It wasn’t long until it became a constant blue glow coming from outside the train.

Twilight roused from her seat, stowing her book and rose to her hooves. “Looks like we’re there,” she said cryptically.

“We’re where? Are we on the surface already? I thought you said this was a two hour trip.”

Twilight laughed. “Take a look for yourself.” Twilight took the curtain in her magic and tugged it aside. She stood by the window and peered outside, giving Dash plenty of space to do the same.

Dash crept up to the window. She placed her snout just up to the glass, swallowing a sharp breath of air. “What the…”

Dash could hardly understand what she was seeing. On one hoof, she had every reason to believe she was at the bottom of the ocean, speeding along to yet another leg in her journey with Twilight. She also expected said two hour trip to take place in an endless tunnel of black that wrung out any hope of enjoyment of the ride. Yet all of this seemed moot at the sight of giant black and white fish swimming alongside them.

Dash backed away from the window. She glanced at Twilight, who watched her the entire time and held a hoof to her mouth with a wide smile on her face. “Oh, Dash. You aren’t scared of an orca, now are you?”

“A w-what?”

“An orca, or better known by sea-faring ponies as a killer whale; a seaborne mammal indigenous to colder oceans like those surrounding Great Brayton.”

“Ok, cool, whatever, so why are we racing it on a train? At the bottom of the ocean? In a glass tunnel?!”

“Don’t worry. The shell of this tunnel is made with the strongest crystal magic can enchant. It even glows enough to illuminate the sea floor so we can see what’s out there. Isn’t it impressive?”

Dash slowly made her way back to the window. She glanced at the arches holding up the tunnel as the sped by. She was no engineer, but they looked to be doing their part. When she traced the sea floor before her, she found it harder to quell the tugging sensation at the bottom of her stomach.

“T-that’s kinda cool, I guess…”

Dash gazed out the window. She felt a calm wash over her as she peered into the deep, dark blue of the ocean waters. The orca’s were whirling through the depths, and the train vibrated with their wailing song.

Her ears twitched at the sound of quill-scratches. Twilight had returned to her seat and was hastily writing on a piece of parchment.

“Uh, Twi?” Dash asked. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just going to write a letter to Celestia to be safe.” She shrugged her shoulder. “You know, explain why you did what you did, and how the Duke provoked you. I just don’t want her to get upset.”

“Didn’t we just go over how you were going to stop worrying?”

“It’s just a letter, Dash. And besides, I think she would appreciate a little status report . Like how we are doing on the trip. I think she’d like that.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Okay… But how do you plan on sending it to her?”

“I’ll just get Spike to… send…” Twilight blinked. “...it?”

Twilight let out a loud groan and rolled onto her back, dropping the letter in the process. She shook her head and flailed her forelegs around, swatting her own head occasionally for good measure. “How could I be so stupid?!”

Dash smirked as she watched Twilight unravel. She snickered to herself and reclined onto her back. “You’re just too adorable when you’re angry, Twi.”

“I—uh, what?”

Dash froze. Oh ponyfeathers… She cursed inwardly at letting herself slip. Drawing all her resilience, she fought back the flustered feelings that welled up inside her and glanced at Twilight.

She was looking at her oddly. It was a look that Dash had seen before, one she had known that Twilight was utterly confused. She wracked her mind for a way out as she had done many times before. You got me out once before, brain. Now I need you to do it again!

“W-well…” she tried. “You got this look that would have Fluttershy beat for being the most flustered-looking pony. It’s kinda funny to see it on you is all.”

Twilight’s eyes seemed to bore into Dash. The two ponies held their ground, and as the time went by, it seemed that Twilight was doing far more than digging out a simple answer from Dash; she was searching through her entire soul. Dash felt her resolve failing as beads of sweat trickled down her head, when Twilight shut her eyes and sighed.

“I’m not sure I believe you, Dash. I know I’m a little excessive sometimes, but flustered?”

Dash cleared her throat. “Well, maybe not flustered. But you gotta admit, Twi. You do tend to get pretty intense about stuff, like the time with that doll…”

Twilight winced. “Don’t remind me,” she muttered.

Great, now I’ve made her feel worse. Dash stood up quickly and went to Twilight’s side. “I didn’t mean to be mean about it; I was just kidding around. I’m sorry.” She looked out the window again. A group of sea turtles whirled about in a torrent of water, bringing a smile to Dash’s face. “The train was awesome. you were right about it being a good idea.”

Twilight brought her head up to gaze out the window with Dash. She smiled at the sight of turtles drifting by. “Well, if you liked this, then you’ll love the art galleries in Prance.”

Dash’s eye twitched. Art galleries?

Chapter Eight

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Eight

Honey and the Bee

Dash flared her wings outward and stopped her ascent, spinning around to face the city below. Her chest heaved with each breath as she searched around. “Gotta find help… where…”

She slowed her wings and leaned forward, her head swinging in all directions. Now, what do guards look like in Prance? I haven’t seen a single armored pony yet.

Her wings buzzed as she propelled forward, scrutinizing the streets. The city was filled with crowds of ponies. The roads were decorated in bright blues, from banners and streamers to tinted lanterns and street lights. Loud music drifted up from the streets, and groups of ponies broke out into dance. She heard their cheers and stomps, even at her height. The smell of fresh fried batter was the strongest, eliciting a growl from Dash’s stomach.

Dash grunted and carried on. Huh, guess something special’s goin’ on. That makes this interesting. Finding a guard in this mess is gonna be hard.

She swung her wings out and turned sharply, ending in a hover over an intersection. I don’t even know where I’m going. She groaned. I shoulda grabbed Twilight’s map. I have no idea if I’m heading towards a guard post or a bakery!

She glanced down at her necklace. It gave off a dull glow as it swung around her neck. I’ve gotten pretty far from her. Maybe I should head in the other direction at least. If I can’t get help close by, then what’s the point? Hopefully Vanille can keep them safe for a whi—

Her eye twitched. I left her with Vanille! Alone. Agh, what was I thinking! After all those looks she gave her, now she’s probably hitting on her while I’m gone.

Dash slapped herself across the face, and rubbed her cheek. What the hay am I thinking? We’re in trouble, why would she being hitting on her while we have a bunch of goons chasing us. I doubt Twilight is into that kinda thing. Dash’s cheeks grew warmer as she nursed her injury. Or what if she is?

She shook her head. Not now Dash! Friend in trouble now, deviant thoughts later!

Bringing herself out of her trance, Dash reexamined the street she was hovering over. The intersection flowed into four wide streets, all equally decorated in the same theme as the rest of the city.

She floated further downward and landed on the road. She stopped a passer-by with her hoof. “Excuse me, where can I find the nearest guard post?”

The pony she had stopped tilted her head. “Pardon?”

Dash’s ears folded back. “Uh, sorry…” She sped off into the crowds, swearing under her breath. I don’t even know the language! How am I supposed to find anypony to help if I can’t talk to them?! I’m just gonna fly back and—

Dash flapped her wings and left the ground, only to clip her hooves on a pony standing in her way. She tumbled over in the air and straightened herself, crashing back to the ground.

She spun around and spotted a unicorn stallion rubbing his head. He brushed his red mane out of his eyes and turned his attention to Dash, eyebrow raised.

“I’m really sorry,” Dash said. “I’m in a hurry, and—” Dash facehoofed. “And you probably don’t even understand me.” Dash sighed, and bowed her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. My friends are in trouble.”

“And running into passers-by in the street is the best way to aid them?” the stallion said.

Dash rolled her eyes and started flapping her wings again. “Yeah, well, sometimes things don’t work the way you—wait, what?!”

Dash stopped her wings and stared wide eyed at the stallion in front of her. “You speak Equestrian?”

The stallion smirked. “That is not obvious?”

Dash stepped forward. “Then maybe you can help me! My friends and I were being chased by these weirdos trying to ponynap us or something. I need to find the city guard and get back to them. Do you know where they are?”

The stallion’s smile faded and his brow arched. “Well, you certainly have a knack for running into the right pony.” The stallion nodded his head to what he was wearing. A set of polished gold medals hung on a sapphire blue tunic. Dash’s eyes narrowed on the uniform.

She met his eyes again. “Y-you’re a guard?”

He nodded and Dash’s eyes brightened. “Then you gotta help me! I know where to find them.” Dash grabbed her necklace and showed it to him. It glowed faintly, and it was steadily rising. “They aren’t far!”

He examined the necklace. “I see. I will fetch some assistance and follow—”

A second uniformed stallion galloped up to them. He offered a quick salute to the other stallion. “Capitaine! Nous les avons trouvées!” he wheezed. He offered a piece of paper to the other, who grabbed it in his magic.

He frowned as he examined it, before turning his attention back to Dash with sigh. “I am sorry, madam, but something has come up. I will send for a constable to assist you as soon as I am able.”

Dash glared at him. “What do you mean, as soon as you are able? My friends are in trouble, what’s more important that stopping a ponynapping?”

The stallion turned the piece of paper over, revealing a photograph to Dash. “We have located a potentially dangerous criminal nearby, and I have no intention of letting her get away again. So unless you have seen this mare to aid my search, I’m afraid all of my available gendarmes will be searching this city for her.”

Dash stared at the photo. Her eyes were locked to the golden curls of the mare on it, her bright olive eyes and her elegant white dress, standing in front of a black and white striped background and a numbered sign hanging on her neck underneath an insidious smile. Dash’s mouth hung open as her heart began to hammer in her chest.

She looked down at the necklace still in her hooves. It glowed brighter than before, and she gripped it tightly. “Yeah. I’ve seen her.”

*****

Dash sped through the air, her mind racing. She scanned the streets below, clutching her necklace in her hooves. Its purple glow wavered as she flew, and she changed directions with every pulse.

What was I thinking?! I knew that Vanille was up to no good! Now I’ve left her alone with Twilight, Celestia knows what she might have done to her. She gritted her teeth, hastening her search. She glanced behind her and frowned at the rainbow trail that followed her. Those guards better be able to keep up.

The glowing amulet shifted, and Dash banked sharply. Oh Twi, where the hay are you? I didn’t get that far away, did I?

A cascade of light erupted from the necklace, and Dash slowed down. She hovered above a small alley but didn’t see anypony. She dove down and glided above the buildings, watching, listening.

A quiet sound drifted past her ears from below. It sounded like hooffalls, bouncing off the narrow walls of the street. Dash landed on the building and peered down over the edge. She tilted her head, trying to located the sound’s source. She also heard the sound of heavy breathing, and a familiar voice.

“Pace myself… Right,” Twilight said, panting. “That’s the last time I listen to a book on how to run.”

“You did well,” Vanille said. “I’ve seen worse fleeing.”

“You say that like it happens a lot.”

Vanille glanced back at Twilight and smirked before looking back at the street. “It happens daily sometimes.”

Dash’s eye twitched, and she scowled.

“And what, I might ask, is it that has you running about that much?” Twilight said.

“Running from the cops, probably,” Dash shouted. She bounded from the roof and glided down to the ground. She kept her wings outstretched as she glared at Vanille.

Twilight’s face brightened as Dash landed. “Oh, Dash! You’re alright. Did you find anypony to help?”

“Twi, get away from her,” Dash said in a level tone.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, Dash?”

Dash jerked a hoof in Vanille’s direction. “She’s what’s wrong. She’s been lying to us this whole time, Twi, and playing us for suckers.”

“What?” Vanille said, outraged. “How dare you accuse me of something like that!”

“Can it, princess. I know your game now. Rob the trusting tourists, right? Or maybe you’re actually working with those goons and make a tidy profit on the side. Let me know when I’m getting close.”

“Dash!” Twilight said. “How can you say these things? Vanille has been nothing but nice to us this whole time, and she’s been trying to help us escape! I can’t believe you!”

Dash winced, but only for a second. She popped open her saddlebags and withdrew the paper the guard had given her, and tossed it to the ground in front of Twilight. “What was that thing you told me once, Twi? A picture is worth a thousand words? I bet this one is worth way more than that.”

Twilight scooped up the photo in her magic. She cast a glare in Dash’s direction as she brought it to her eyes. Her eyes flicked over the page, and her pupils shrank. She dropped the paper with a gasp, and stepped away from Vanille.

The photo drifted in the air towards her, and she stepped on it to stop it. She glanced at the image, and quickly glanced up to Dash, worry in her eyes. “Where did you get this?” she said quietly.

“The guards. They were pretty insistent on catching you more than helping us elude a bunch of ponynappers, that is until I told them that they could do both. They should be here any minute.”

Vanille fidgeted in place. “I—I can explain!”

“I trusted you…” Twilight said. “How could you do such a thing?”

“You misunderstand! Please, I beg of you to listen to me. It isn’t what it looks like!”

Dash stepped in between Twilight and Vanille, keeping her eyes trained on her. “I don’t want to hear it, lady. You try and hurt me, that’s fine, I can take you. But if you try and hurt my friends, you’re looking at way more than just a gentle flank kicking.”

Vanille stepped back, her ears folding behind her head. “You—you wouldn’t…”

Dash narrowed her eyes. “Try me.”

She felt a hoof on her shoulders. Twilight was beside her, shaking her head. “There’s no need for that, Dash. Let’s just wait for the guards, they can deal with her.”

Dash snorted. “If you say so, Twi.”

“P-please,” Vanille said. “This is a mistake. I have done nothing wrong.”

“I’m pretty sure lying is wrong,” Dash said. “Or whatever the guards want you for.”

“You need not patronize me, Miss Dash. It was not my intention to put you and your friend in any danger.”

“Then what was your intention, if you weren’t just doing this to screw with us?”

“I want to know what the world outside is like. I feel like most of the time I am trapped here. Which is why I act as a guide for tourists, so that I may learn of the outside world. At least for a fleeting moment before…”

“Before what?”

Vanille narrowed her eyes. “As much as life on the surface here in Cheval glitters as if gold and silver, there is much worse that oozes from beneath, and not everypony can keep their distance.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “The fancy stories might have worked before, but I’m not buying it now. Why don’t you keep quiet until the guards get here? Then we can see what to do with you.”

Vanille opened her mouth, but said nothing. Her eyes trained away from Dash to something behind her and widened. Twilight stepped back as well, blinking and turning pale.

Dash turned her head, and spun her whole body around at the sight of the two thugs from earlier, moving towards them from the mouth of the alley. They walked with a limp, but any pain that they might have felt was masked by anger.

“You guys just don’t know when to quit, don’t you?” Dash said.

The stallions ignored her and kept moving.

“Twi, tell these morons that the guards will be here any minute. If they want to get roped in with their buddy, that’s their problem.”

Twilight nodded. “Messieurs, je serais plus qu'heureuse de vous lancer dans un mur encore, mais nous avons appelé les gendarmes. Voulez-vous vraiment prendre ce risque?”

The stallions exchanged a glance, but instead of turning around, they hastened their advance. Dash glanced at Twilight, who shrugged with concern. Dash turned back with a frown and stretched her wings out wide. “So, were doing this the hard way then?”

She moved forward to cut off the stallions, when she heard sound of struggle behind her. Twilight was straining, her horn only offering sputters of light. Her eyes were darting between her horn and Dash. “My magic… it isn’t working!”

“What?” Dash said. She turned her attention to Vanille. “What did you do?”

Vanille shook her head. “I haven’t done anything!”

“Are you certain about that?” a new voice asked.

Dash spun around. At the head of the alley were three uniformed stallions blocking the path. They stood behind the guard captain Dash had ran into, and she smiled victoriously. “About time you showed up.”

“Apologies, madam. You were much faster than I gave you credit for, and getting an anti-magic field up took longer than I thought.”

Dash’s smile faded. “Wait, what? Why would you do that?”

He smiled. “Just a precaution, I assure you. We wouldn’t want things to get out of hoof, now would we?”

The captain and his gendarmes advanced on the thugs. Dash grinned again when she awaited him to arrest the two would-be ponynappers, when instead, he slapped one of them across the face.

“Imbéciles! Vous aviez une rôle, et vous ne pouvez même pas faire cela correctement! Maintenant, je dois m'impliquer.”

“Désolé, Monsieur Ruby. La licorne était plus forte que nous le pensions.”

His eyes flickered with silver as he glanced at the three mares in front of them. “Elles sont trois petites pouliches, et vous me dites que deux étalons de votre réputation ne peuvent pas les gérer ? Pathétique. Peut-être que je devrais vous appréhendez moi-même.”

Dash frowned. “Twi, what are they saying?”

Twilight didn’t respond. Dash turned around, and saw that Twilight and Vanille were frozen still, staring at the group of stallions in front of them.

“Uh, Twi? What’s wrong?”

“This is the guard you found?”

“Well, yeah. He looks like a guard, doesn’t he?”

“He’s one of them!” Vanille said.

Dash tilted her head. “Huh?”

“That captain, he is Mr. Ruby. He is the one who ordered our capture.”

“What? No way. He’s a guard.”

“Are you saying guards are above corruption?”

“Well, I always assumed—”

“Your assumptions have now made our situation worse!”

Dash felt her chest clenching and twisting. “B-but I… I was trying to help… I was trying to be a hero…”

A hoofstep broke her from her downward spiral. Mr. Ruby was standing next to her, his guards moving around her. “You have done admirably, child,” he said. “For your service, I promise that you will be sold to a kind benefactor.” He turned his attention to Vanille. “As for you, ma petite souris…”

Twilight stepped in front of Vanille. “You won’t be laying a hoof on her while I’m around.”

Ruby smirked at her. “You are confident, madame. Even without your magic. I must applaud your courage. You will fetch a tidy sum indeed.”

“That’s mademoiselle to you, buddy,” Twilight said. “And you won’t be hurting us or our friend.”

Mr. Ruby blinked, turning his attention back to Vanille. “Oh, ma petite souris. Vous avez fait des amis.”

He turned back his accomplices. “Assurez-vous de ne pas endommager la marchandise.”

The guardsmen nodded and moved forward, surrounding the three mares. Dash stepped back towards Twilight and Vanille.

Twilight’s eyes were darting between the approaching stallions. “What do we do, Dash?”

“Well, I know what we aren’t doing,” she said. “We aren’t taking this lying down like a bunch of chumps.”

“But without my magic I—”

“You don’t need magic to fight back, Twi. Or were you not paying attention during your brother’s wedding? Watch.”

The first guard stepped towards Dash, reaching out a hoof. Dash responded by charging into him. The guard withdrew his hoof, but Dash was already within his space, and slammed her head into his cheek.

He tumbled back from the blow, just in time for a second stallion to join the fray from Dash’s left. She flashed a glare at him, as she brought up her left wing and swept it through his knees. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground hard.

Dash turned back to Twilight with a smirk. “See? Nothing to it.”

“Dash look out!” Twilight said, pointing behind her.

Dash’s ear twitched at the sound of galloping hooves suddenly stopping. She dropped down to the ground, as a guard lunged over top of her and rolled into the ground, stopping just in front of Twilight.

She stared at the stallion at her hooves as he struggled to stand back up. She was still a moment, before she bucked her rear legs. Her bags hopped from her back and sailed in the air, landing on the guard’s head with a thud. He groaned quietly and stirred no more.

Dash smiled. “Good one, Twi.” She turned back to Mr. Ruby. His head was tilted away, and he was smirking.

“You won’t be smiling when I beat it off of you, punk.”

“I was merely thinking how adorable you all are fighting back like this. And the money I shall receive once the transaction is complete.” He whistled sharply, and nodded to the rooftops.

Dash looked up, and her ears folded back. She counted a at least a dozen pegasus soldiers staring down at her from the roof edge.

“Dash!” Twilight shouted.

Dash spun around. Twilight was pointing down the opposite side of the alley, where a second battalion of guards were filling the narrow street. She growled, and tensed her body into a low posture.

She felt a leg sling around her throat and wing. She bucked and kicked in response, but there was no sign of her assailant backing off.

“Shh…" Mr. Ruby cooed into her ear. “Do not fight it. It will all be over soon.”

Dash’s heart began to race. Even for a unicorn, this stallion was strong, even stronger than her. She twisted her body every possible way, but she could not weaken his grasp. She watched Twilight backing away from a duo of guards closing in on her as she trembled violently.

Then, Dash saw nothing. The street darkened as a cloud of thick, black smoke billowed into the area. It oozed everywhere, washing over the guards, Twilight, and Dash. She couldn’t see a thing and began to cough.

Mr. Ruby, too was hacking at the disgusting murk. Dash felt his grip weaken, and wiggled free. She charged forward, peering through the mucky black. “Twilight! Where are you?!”

There was no answer. Only coughing and shouting from the guards all around her. She couldn’t even see the sky above.

She felt another hoof clamp around her mouth, and a harsh whisper in her ear that she did not understand. She felt like she was pulled downward, like she was falling. She was pulled into the earth, her wings brushing up against damp stone and dirt. She tried to cry out one last thing against her captor before the last shred of light above was snuffed out, and there was nothing but darkness remaining.

Chapter Nine

Dreams and Disasters
By Quillery

Chapter Nine

Bombshell Blonde

Dash felt warm, almost uncomfortably so. Her fur bristled and her skin prickled as a sense of dry heat washed over her. Her eyes strained open to a thin cloud of haze all around her. The presence of the steam caused her to blink rapidly, and her mind to race.

Where the hay am I? What’s going on?

She tried to sit up, but her body did not respond. She felt her back propped against a hard surface, but the foggy environment hid it from her view. Her ears twitched at a sound, and she slowly managed to force her head to turn.

“Stop it!” a voice giggled. “That tickles!”

“Well if you stopped moving so much, I’d be done already,” a second voice said.

Dash peered through the misty air, and spotted the source of the voices. Twilight stood not far from her, with Vanille right next to her. Twilight’s horn was glowing brightly, as she shied away from Vanille, who was scrubbing her with a towel. Or trying to, at least, as Twilight giggled loudly and twitched while Vanille struggled to accomplish her task.

A feeling of fire assaulted Dash’s face as she watched. I must be dreaming again. This can’t be real. She swallowed loudly, trying to calm her hammering heart. I can’t move, and Twilight is bathing with Vanille in a sauna. Totally a dream. I… think I can deal with that.

Dash felt a smirk spread across her face as she stared. Vanille sighed as if she were pouting. “You are absolutely filthy, Miss Twilight. And you are not helping with all of that shrieking.”

“I can’t help that I’m ticklish! What is that towel made of?”

Vanille rolled her eyes.” It is only—” Her gaze fell on Dash. “Oh, it looks like she’s awake.”

Twilight stopped giggling and glanced over to Dash. Her smile faded after a moment, and she tilted her head. “Dash? Why are you looking at us like that?”

“Why are you stopping?” Dash replied dreamily.

Twilight’s mouth hung open. “Huh?”

“As far as the dreams go, this one is pretty cool. Just keep going, don’t mind me.” Dash sat back against the wall, grinning and wishing she had a bag of popcorn.

Vanille cleared her throat and returned the towel to her bags. “It seems Miss Dash has hit her head a bit harder than we thought.”

Dash blinked as her face quickly felt heated. “Uh...y-yeah! Totally hit my head… when I we… fell, and—ow!” She tried to move again, and the first thing Dash noticed was pain. Her body permeated a dull ache throughout, though that was hardly the worst part. Her head spun, and her stomach roiled as a result. She strained to open her eyes and was treated to a dimly lit blur.

Slowly, with the mist clearing, she made out where she was. She sat in a narrow tunnel, made of roughly hewn stone and mortar. It was bathed in a gentle purple glow from Twilight’s horn. Without the warming fog, the air was stale and cold, sending shivers down her skin. Her mouth tasted dry and bitter, and no amount of licking chased it away.

She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled in protest. She landed back on the ground with a grunt. As she landed, she heard approaching hoofsteps. “Oh, Dash! Are you alright?”

“Nnng,” Dash groaned. “Twilight? What’s going on?”

“Don’t try to stand. I haven’t had a good look at you yet.”

Dash lifted her head to see her friend standing over her, horn glowing. She let out a long breath and brushed a hoof across her forehead.

“Thank goodness you’re alright,” Twilight said. “You’ve been out a while.”

Dash rubbed her head and blinked a few times. She tried to stand again, but only managed to heave herself onto her haunches. “How long?”

“Ten minutes at least. I had to carry you for a while we were running.”

Dash tilted her head. “Running? from what?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember?”

Dash scratched her head. “I remember falling, and darkness. And before that… nothing.”

“She definitely hit her head,” Vanille said. “My apologies, Miss Dash, I did not compensate for navigating the tunnels with you in tow.”

Dash turned her head and saw Vanille standing behind her. Dash’s eyes widened as her memories raced back to her, starting with the ones concerning the mare in front of her.

“You!” she snarled, jerking a hoof at Vanille. “You got us into this mess, and—ow!”

Dash felt herself being jerked down. She turned back and saw that Twilight had forced her to sit, and was glaring at her.

“Dash, if it wasn’t for Vanille, we would have been ponynapped. She saved us back there, and I would expect you to be a bit more grateful to her.”

Dash felt her throat tighten at Twilight’s words. “She saved us? How?”

Vanille walked up and pulled something from her bags. They were small grey spheres, one of which she hurled against a wall far in the distance. It let out a quiet hiss before sending out a gout of black smoke, which just as quickly dissipated.

Dash glanced back at Vanille, who was smirking.

“A mare in Prance can never be too prepared. In the confusion, I was able to extract you both into the nearby sewer grate.”

Dash frowned. “Wouldn’t they just follow us?”

Vanille chuckled. “They were too busy to not trip over each other to notice me seal up the grate behind me. Even if they knew where we went, they would have to tear up the street to enter where we did, and we are long gone now. So, we have some time to relax.”

“Relax, right—ow!”

“Stop fidgeting, Dash, I’m trying to tighten this bandage.”

Dash’s head spun to Twilight. “Bandage? Where?”

Twilight pointed at Dash’s wing. A small white band was wrapped tightly around the joint that connected it to Dash’s back. Dash gave it a test flap, and was met with a shock of pain.

“I think you just sprained it. It was jerking around while we were running, so I thought it might be injured. Just don’t try to move it and you should be ok in about a day.”

Dash examined the makeshift splint more closely, and whistled. “This is actually a really good job, Twi. Where did you learn to do this?”

“Well, after Applejack ended up putting half the town in the hospital with her ‘baked bads’, I noticed how horribly understaffed the nurses were in Ponyville. So I started volunteering a few days a week.” Twilight smiled. “I can even splint a broken leg!”

“Well, thankfully that will not be necessary,” Vanille said. “I trust you are feeling better, Miss Dash?”

“Yeah…” Dash said. “I guess.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Dash, I think you owe Vanille something more than an ‘I guess’.”

Dash frowned. “What, you want me to apologise?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “It would be a nice start.”

“But, Twi! You saw that mugshot. Sure she saved us, but she still lied to us!”

Twilight sighed. “Yes, that may be. But without her, we would have been in much worse trouble than her lies brought on. I for one am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, for now.”

Dash crossed her forelegs.

Twilight smiled and put a hoof on Dash’s cheek. Dash’s eyes widened and her legs went slack. She hook her head quickly and cleared her throat.

“Dash, do you remember Daring Do and the Maltese Gryphon?”

Dash blinked. “Of course I do! That’s my second favorite one, next to the Sapphire Stone!”

Twilight giggled. “And do you remember that the thief in that book was actually one of the good ones?”

Dash swallowed. “Uh… I guess she was… yeah.”

Twilight nodded. “So…”

Dash sighed. She slowly rose to her hooves and turned to face Vanille. She was watching her carefully, eyebrow raised. Dash jerked out a hoof to her, but did not look at her. “Vanille, I’m… sorry. I was being a total featherbrain and jumped to the worst possible thing. You saved me and Twi, and I’d like to start over, if you’re cool with that.”

Vanille’s eyes narrowed on her hoof. After a moment, she smiled and shook it. “All is forgiven, Miss Dash. I must admit, being faced with such… incriminating evidence would lead anypony into false reactions. I promise that I have nothing but the best intentions for you two.”

Dash nodded, and turned to look around. “So where exactly are we?”

“Far below the city,” Vanille said. She traced a hoof along the rough stone. “We are on the edge of the Cheval catacombs, beneath the old cathedrals.”

Twilight’s face brightened. “The catacombs?! Really!?”

Vanille nodded with a smirk. “I figured you would enjoy them, even under the circumstances. I know them quite well.”

Dash raised an eyebrow, and Vanille giggled at her. “Because of my tours, miss Dash. There was a time when I frequently guided tourists down these tunnels. They have been closed for some time for restoration, but I don’t imagine we’ll run into much trouble for now.”

Twilight’s smile widened. “Oh my. I never thought I’d get to see them on this trip. This is so exciting!”

“Uh, Twi?” Dash said. “What’s so exciting about a sewer?”

“It’s not the sewer, its what’s past the sewer! The Cheval catacombs are the oldest and largest underground tunnel system in the world, even more so than the diamond dog tunnels we’ve been able to map out.”

Dash opened her mouth to respond, when a thought struck her. “Catacomb… isn’t that a fancy word for…” Dash’s ears folded back. “Graveyard?”

“Among other things,” Vanille said. “These tunnels have served multiple purposes over the years, and we will most likely see many of them as we move through.”

Twilight skipped in place. “Ohh… I can’t wait!”

“Yeah…” Dash said. “Sounds great…”

*****

“Ugh,” Dash said. “It reeks down here!”

Vanille chuckled. “Well, we are not in the sewers like you imagined we were, but they are down here somewhere. I’ve been down here so often that I hardly notice it.”

“Where exactly are we, then?” Twilight asked.

“We have been travelling east, so we will be directly underneath the old cathedrals. The catacombs will not be far.”

Twilight grinned, and her horn brightened. “I can’t wait! I’ve read so much about these tunnels, but I never imagined seeing them up close before!”

Dash glanced around the tunnel. The tunnel hadn’t changed much since they first set off. The stale air went rotten the further they went, but it wasn’t unbearable. Dash fought against her protesting stomach with each step.

“I’m not seeing what’s so cool about this place, Twi,” Dash said. “It just looks like more smelly tunnels, like the last ten minutes of smell tunnel, and—”

Dash felt something catch her leg, and she fell forward. She landed with a grunt, and lifted her head with a shake. “Ow… what is it with me and falling down today?”

“Dash! Are you alright?” Twilight said.

“I’m fine,” she said, getting back to her hooves. “Just tripped on something.” She turned her head to look behind her. “Probably just a rock or—”

Her eyes sprang open, her blood went cold and her heart jumped into her throat. Her lungs gasped a raspy breath as she backed away stammering, from a grimy, chattering, dirt-encrusted skull hovered in front of her face.

Then she heard laughing.

Her mind screeched to a halt as she looked up from her prone position, and saw Twilight holding a hoof to her mouth. She tilted her head back, and saw Vanille standing behind her, smiling, and holding the skull in her hooves. “Oh, I’m sorry, miss Dash, are you not a fan of Shakespony?”

“I… uh… you… bones—huh?” she managed.

Vanille spun the skull to face her, bouncing it to mimic the moving jaw. “Alas, poor maiden, cut down by the night’s cruel embrace. Doth wicked mare of darkness and strife plungeth our world into chaos and despair, lest the moon never wane again under the day’s mighty light.”

She finished with a sigh, and placed the skull back on the ground, and gave it a tap with her hooves. “They must have left this prop from the old tours before they shut down for the restorations. I never thought I’d see it again.”

Dash blinked. “That’s a f-fake skull?”

“Of course it is. You would think me so callous to play with the remains of some poor soul?” Vanille shook her head with a frown.

Dash rolled over and stood back up. “Well, n-no, it’s just that we’re supposed to be in a graveyard and I thought…”

Vanille smiled. “I assure you, Miss Dash, that this is nothing but a harmless replica to frighten tourists.” She lifted a hoof and pointed a hoof to the wall. “Those bones, however, are no such thing.”

Dash turned her head. Behind her along the wall were large, dug out alcoves, filled to the brim with skeletons. Their emaciated forms hung out, mouths open and what remained of their flesh stretched their faces into crude grimaces.

Dash hopped back, wings upright and rigid, and ended up on her back again. Twilight was laughing this time as Dash took a moment to remember how to breathe. Twilight reached a hoof down to help Dash up, grinning. “I thought you weren’t scared of anything, Dash.”

“I’m not! It just… startled me. It isn’t often you see a wall of old bones looming over you!”

Twilight nodded, and then turned to Vanille. “You know a Midsummer’s Nightmare?”

Vanille beamed. “But of course! How could I not know one of Shakespony’s greatest tales? The story of madness and despair, of desperation and jealousy. The birth of la Cauchemare, the god’s wicked plaything to torment the lives of us ponies for their enjoyment. It is truly one of history’s greatest stories.”

Twilight frowned. “That’s… not how I remember it.”

Vanille raised an eyebrow. “Well, surely you do not think la Cauchemare was a blessing to us? She attempted to bring eternal night to us all. Madness!”

“Well… I think she was just lonely. All she wanted was a friend, someone who appreciated the night like she did. And nopony did. That’s why she changed. She’s actually quite nice, once you get to know her.”

Vanille scoffed. “You speak as if you actually know la Cauchemare.”

“We do,” Dash said. “She’s Celestia’s sister after all.”

Vanille froze. “But… that cannot be. “La Cauchemare was defeated a thousand years ago, how is it that you—wait… Celestia’s sister?!”

Dash smirked. “Do you guys not get the same news we do? Princess Luna’s return was a huge thing, wasn’t it?”

“Uh… Dash?” Twilight said. “That’s not entirely true.”

Dash looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, only ponies from Ponyville actually know that Luna was Nightmare Moon. Everypony else in Equestria just thinks Luna was her prisoner. A separate entity.”

“But… why?”

“Well, mostly, it was to curb any distress it might have caused in the remaining noble houses in Canterlot if they thought the Lunar Rebellions were happening again.”

Dash scoffed. “Well, that’s stupid. If any pony actually talked to her for five minutes they would know she’s really cool.” Dash scratched her leg and chuckled. “I still have a small scar from when she zapped me with my own cloud. Turning my own prank against me, heh.”

Twilight giggled and turned to Vanille, who was still staring at them both in shock, and frowned. “But it seems that the story was hidden even over here for the same reason.”

“I…” Vanille said. “I’m not sure what to say. I have all of these stories of the old and new worlds. So much has changed, even in my lifetime, but I guess that I can never really know everything. Such is the price of never leaving the country, I suppose.” She nodded. “I have only heard negative things of la Cauchemare, but if she is as you say, then perhaps I will have to investigate on my own and see what is the real story.”

“Maybe you should just take a vacation,” Dash said. “Everypony needs some time off now and again.”

Vanille shrugged. “Not everypony has the time for vacations.”

“Well, at least it will get you out of being chased by loony ponies for a bit.”

Vanille laughed. “That would be nice.”

Dash laughed as well, but cut herself off when her ears twitched at a new sound. She glanced back the tunnel from where they came, watching and listening. A chorus of distant hoofsteps echoed against the wall, and the quiet din of angry voices.

“I don’t think we’re alone down here anymore.”

“Zut alors!” Vanile snapped. “I did not think they would get down here so fast. Let us be going, I know a few more ways we can keep our distance.”

“Then lead the way.”

*****

“I think I see light up ahead!” Twilight said.

Dash looked ahead, and indeed saw a sliver of light cascading down from the ceiling. As the three of them approached the beam of light, they saw that it came from a long shaft that climbed upwards.

“Hmm, we are getting closer to the newer tunnel systems,” Vanille said. “We are now in the underground railroad that was used to transport refugees from Germane during the rebellions.”

“But I don’t see any tracks,” Dash said.

Vanille smiled. “It is a figure of speech. While it was not a true railroad, it served a vital purpose in the early days of Cheval.” She glanced down to the ground and scuffed the stone with a hoof. “Thousands of desperate ponies and gryphons alike stormed through these tunnels searching for safety. It is saddening to see them so darkened and ignored.”

“Is there much more to see down here?” Dash said.

Vanille smirked at her. “Do not tell me you are growing bored of these too.”

“N-no! Really! The tunnels are cool. But I’m just going a little stir crazy. I’d just like to poke my head out for some fresh air, if thats cool.”

Vanille glanced up. “Hmm, this should lead to a sewer cover. I think that would be fine as long as you don’t open it too far and let somepony fall in. Just don’t take too long. We have some time to rest, but I’d rather not linger if there are more of those guards down here.”

“And maybe we can figure out where we are, too.” Twilight said.

Dash nodded, and climbed up the stepping stones. when she reached the metal plate at the top, she carefully pushed it up and peered out into the street above.

She gulped down as much fresh, clean air as she could, before she scanned her surroundings.

“It’s pretty quiet right here,” she called down. “The cover is in an alley, but I can see the street.”

“What do you see?” Twilight asked.

“Not much. There’s a huge crowd in the road. And a lot of blue decorations.”

Vanille muttered something that Dash couldn’t make out. She went to glance back down, when she saw emerging from the group of blue-tunic-wearing stallions. They were frowning and shouting at each other over the din of the crowd.

As soon as Dash recognized them, she slowly dropped the sewer grate and descended the ladder as quickly as she could.

She was panting by the time she made it to the bottom.

“Dash!” Twilight said. “What’s wrong?”

“The guards! They're still looking for us up there too. Are these guys everywhere or what?!”

“We cannot be certain that they are the same guards.” Twilight said. “Mr. Ruby can’t possibly have all the guards under his command.” She turned to Vanille. “Can he?”

Vanille shrugged. “It’s possible, but unlikely. They might just be surveying the preparations for the celebration tomorrow.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “What celebration? I mean, I did see a lot of decorations and crowds earlier when I was looking for help, but i had no idea it was a big thing. I just thought this was what Prance was like.”

“Ah, then you have arrived at a wonderful time. I had just mentioned to Miss Twilight that tomorrow is our queen’s birthday. It is the largest celebration we hold, and it grows larger with every queen.”

“That’s it!” Twilight shouted.

“Uh, what’s it, Twi?” Dash said.

“The queen! We can go to her for help!”

Dash blinked, then gasped. “Oh, hey! Yeah! She would have to help us!”

Vanille shook her head. “Pardon me for saying, while our queen is a kindly mare, we cannot possibly expect her just help a commoner and some tourists.”

“Well, we aren’t just any tourists.”

Twilight nodded. She went into her bags and withdrew her sun-emblazoned book. “We’re guests of the crown under by way of Princess Celestia. We’re scheduled to meet with her tomorrow for a special exchange. Her staff would have to help us if we were in trouble.”

Vanille’s eyes widened as she stared at the book. She turned to Twilight. “Twilight…” she muttered. “It can’t be… You are Twilight Sparkle? Celestia’s personal student?”

Twilight blushed, and Dash chuckled. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“B-but, how can you approach the crown with somepony you know to be wanted by the guard? They can’t possibly allow me to just walk in there.”

“Then we won’t mention it,” Twilight said. “I’m sure the real guards are more capable of understanding reason, and if you are friends of ours, we can work something out.”

“I… if you think so…”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Can we even get there from here?”

Vanille swallowed and glanced around slowly. She took a great deal of time peering down a series of tunnels, before she lingered on the final one and pointed at it. “We will have to exit the sewers a short distance from the palace, but I definitely know the way. We are not far from a safe exit, and can be back on the surface in a few minutes.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go see the queen!”

*****

Dash felt a new vigor enter her body in the presence of the sunlight. She breathed deep the air she missed so much as she chased after Vanille and Twilight who kept ahead of her in the streets.

Two blocks later, they made it out of the busy markets and into a quiet lane. Dash, still in the rear, continued to keep an eye out for any who might be following them, while Vanille led them through the winding streets.

The nearby shops were brightly decorated, with banners in bright, shining blues. The lampposts had been fitted with blue lenses and gave off a gentle blue light under the afternoon sun. Citizens milled about, quietly going about their decorations as the three mares trotted along at a brisk pace.

“We are getting close,” Vanille said. “They are already preparing for tomorrow. The palace is very near.”

“Good,” Twilight panted. “Because I am not cut out for all this running.”

“I can carry you if you want, Twi,” Dash said, chuckling. “Miss Fifth Place.”

“I’m fine,” Twilight growled. “I can make it a few more blocks.”

“This is exciting, no? The thrill of the chase. Running from brutish thugs. It reminds me of when I was young!”

“I’ll keep my books, thank you.”

“You don’t sound as concerned about going to the palace as before,” Dash said, frowning. “What gives?”

Vanille shrugged and kept galloping. “Your words have given me hope that all will be fine upon reaching the queen. And if I should meet my just fate, then I will accept it knowing that I have at the very least guided you two to safety from that wicked Ruby.”

Vanille giggled as they turned down a corner. She stopped and let out a satisfied sigh. “There it is! Just at the end of the road!”

Vanille broke into a sprint. Twilight groaned as she labored to keep up, while Dash merely took to the air. She spun in tight circles, shouting with glee. Vanille passed underneath her, but still she kept on until she reached the end.

She lowered her hooves and touched back to the ground, screeching to a halt just before the open courtyard. Her chest swelled as she inhaled a deep, victorious breath as she glanced around, waiting for the others to catch up.

A single, enormous building sat in the middle of the square. It was a stubby building, but it stretched across the open street. An iron bar fence traced the length of the building, capped with sharp edges shaped like the gemstone Dash had seen earlier in the gallery. The front gate had a similar crest on it over the lock. The sun was high in the sky, and its rays hit the glittering sapphire in just the right way to send a cascade of blue light in all directions.

Dash heard galloping hooves catching up behind her. She almost turned around, when something caught her eye. She squinted to focus on something standing near the gate, and her heart immediately sank.

Dash spun around, just in time to see Vanille catch up. She was still running full speed, and did not look like she was about to slow down. Dash leapt in front of her, hooves flailing. “Wait!”

Vanille planted her hooves, trying to stop. She skidded along the smooth road, and Dash placed herself in front of Vanille to help slow her down. Just as Vanille passed, Dash grabbed her around the barrel, secured her back legs, and the two mares carouselled on the spot.

Twilight was just behind, breaking off into a mild trot just as Vanille finally came to a full stop. “What’s wrong, Dash?”

“More of those goons, in the courtyard just in front of the main gate.”

“What?”

“She is right,” Vanille said. She walked over to the edge of the building and stared out towards the gate. “There are some more of those stallions waiting.”

“How did they know?”

“Maybe this Mr. Ruby guy knows who we are,” Dash said. “We are kinda famous in Equestria. Even Vanille knew who we were after a bit.”

Twilight scratched her head. “If he knew who we were…” Her eyes snapped wide open. “Then he would know we’d have connections with the queen.”

“It was a good plan, up until now.”

“Perhaps all is not lost,” Vanille said. “I believe there is a guard house around the back. We could appeal to the crown guard directly.”

“Yeah! That could work. What do you think, Twi?”

Twilight shrugged. “We came this far.”

“We can back into this street and go around,” Vanille said.” It won’t take too much longer.”

Off again, they weaved back through the winding roads of Cheval passing through many other busy markets. They slowed them, but every time a delay presented itself, Vanille halted, turned, and dashed without missing a beat of her hooves on the pavement. She either ducked into an empty alley or found a secondary road through the mess of ponies with ease.

They eventually exited into a small road tracing the backside of the palace walls. The iron bars lined the street and stretched out along the road and out of sight. Dash looked up and down the road, looking for the guard post that Vanille had mentioned.

Instead, she found a divot in the fence that fed directly into the building just across from them, the border of which ran flush with a massive iron door. Vanille trotted across the road over to the door and knocked against it swiftly. Dash and Twilight followed slowly, looking around carefully.

“This doesn’t look like a guard post,” Dash said.

“They are watching,” Vanille said. “They will come.”

“Êtes-vous certain de ça, petite souris?” a voice asked.

The mares spun around. Mr. Ruby was standing there, flanked by his fellow guards. He had a self-assured grin on his face, as he took a step forward with a hoof extended.

“Est-il temps de mettre fin à ce jeu, ma chere?”

Vanille was frowning, and sighed. “Oui, monsieur Ruby. J'ai eu ce que j’ai voulu.”

Twilight’s mouth fell open, and her eyes shrunk to pin pricks. Her lips trembled as if she was trying to speak.

“Twi!” Dash said. “What’s wrong?”

Twilight didn’t answer, she twisted her head to face her, her look of horror unchanged.

Dash stared at her and spun her head to Vanille. She had turned to face them and nodded. “I think this game has gone on long enough, my friends. I no longer see any reason to keep up the facade.”

Dash’s brow arched together, as Vanille’s words processed through her brain. “This… was a trick?”

Vanille nodded. “If you will allow me to explain, I—”

“I trusted you!” Dash snapped. “We trusted you! And you lied to us this whole time! I knew you were bad news! Why did I ever believe you?!”

Vanille stepped back. “You misunderstand… If you just let me—”

“I understand just fine! As soon as you figured out we were friends with Celestia, you seemed so much more interested in moving along. What was it, did the dollar signs in your head just blind you when you realized your ransom doubled?”

“N-no, that’s not—”

“It’s bad enough that you screwed around with us, but you fought so hard to make us believe you, and this is how you repay our trust? There is one thing that is not cool with me and that’s betraying your friends!”

Dash reared her head and scratched at the ground. “Well, I got news for you, princess. If I’m going down, you’re going down with me! And I’ll die before you get your grubby hooves on my friend!”

Dash bolted into the air and charged at Vanille. She stepped back again in fright, when Dash felt a warm glow wash over her. She saw Ruby focusing his magic into stopping her, but she pressed on, flapping harder than she ever had before in her life. Her joints screamed at her, and her injured wing sent jolts of pain through her sides, but she ignored them all.

Even with Ruby’s intervention, Dash managed to crash into Vanille. They rolled over each other in the street, and Dash launched over her, thrashing and kicking.

Dash sprung to her hooves. Ruby had rushed forward to aid Vanille, but she held up a hoof to stop him. “No, I will deal with this.”

He hesitated, and Dash saw her chance. “Deal with this!”

She leapt forward again, swinging out her hoof. She struck Vanille across the face and sent her to the ground. Mr. Ruby let out a strangled cry and tackled Dash. Seeing him approach her head on, Dash balanced on her rear legs and ducked down.

As Ruby sailed over her, she reared up and catapulted him into the fence. She turned to face him when Vanille shouted.

“Ca suffit!”

Dash spun around to see Vanille standing up. Two of the guards approached her from the sides to assist her, but she waved them off. They spoke in concerned tones, but Vanille continued to shake her head. As she lifted her head, her mane parted and Dash caught sight of a black ring forming around one of her eyes.

Dash smirked. “There’s more where that came from, princess.”

Vanille sighed as she rubbed her face. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t deserve that.”

“S’not like lying is hard for you.”

“But, if you had just let me explain, we could have avoided all of this unpleasantness.”

“Like you’re explanations can—”

Vanille swung out her leg and parted her cloak, revealing her saddle bags. She shrugged her back and allowed them to fall to the ground.There was a loud metallic ring from underneath her when it landed. The cloak rippled a moment, and a bright, shining object rolled out from underneath it. It rolled along the ground, skipping across the gaps in the hewn stones in front of Vanille. All eyes stared at it, as its golden glow reflected the light from the sun.

At the top of the circlet, however, was the true focus of everpony’s attention. It was a small setting, but that did little to detract from its absolute perfection. The diamond shaped gem radiated the powerful glow of sapphire blue light, much like the crown that housed it.

The sound of metal rolled over and over as the crown spun on the spot, the sound speeding up with each revolution. When it finally stopped spinning, Dash heard somepony gasp.

“Is that…” Twilight began.

She rounded her head at Vanille. “Is that the Heart of Prance!?”

Vanille glanced their way and chuckled slightly. She approached the crown on the ground and placed a hoof to it, and with a graceful motion, she flicked it into the air and it landed securely on her head, perfectly aligned.

In that instant, there was a bright flash of light that enveloped Vanille, and Dash threw up a hoof to shield her eyes. When she looked back, Vanille was gone. In her place was a sapphire maned mare, sporting the jeweled crown on her head, fitting behind an ivory horn. Her dress had shifted from plain white lace to a flowing blue gown. Her eyes shimmered in the afternoon sun like radiant gems.

Dash and Twilight were staring in shock, mouths hanging open and eyes unblinking.

The sound of a throat clearing drew Twilight and Dash’s attention briefly. They turned to see Mr. Ruby and his entourage bowing. He lifted from his bow and moved to the new mare’s side and offered her a hoof, which she took and hooked around in her own.

“May I present,” Ruby said. “Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoire the Fifth.”

Author's Note

That's probably the steamiest I'll ever start a chapter again. Heh, because of the steam. I'm so witty...NOT.

Chapter Ten

Dreams and Disasters
By Quillery

Chapter Ten

The Real World

Dash and Twilight stood in a small room. It was brightly lit by the afternoon sun, with beams of light striking the polished white floors with an iridescent shimmer. A single, round table sat in the middle of the room, flanked by an assortment of matching chairs, save for one. On the far side was a regal placement, dressed with satin sheets the color of sapphire. It was fitted with silver and gold on its frame.

A carving stood out with the glowing sunlight. It wound around both sides of the immaculate throne and spindled up to the very top. A single gemstone lay at the head of the chair, a heart shaped sapphire. It too shone brightly in the life of the room. Dash felt her eyes linger on the immaculate jewel, and a quick glance showed that Twilight was doing the same.

They were guided quietly, to their seats. Neither of them spoke. Their eyes were trained on the pony that walked ahead of them. She glided through the room with a fluid grace. Her lengthy dress skirted the smooth floor, bunching and resting with each step its owner took.

Her escort parted ways at the throne, whispering into her ear as he left her side. He bowed deeply, and stepped aside, moving to the door.

The pony at the throne took her seat. Her eyes fluttered as she glanced across the table towards her gawking guests as they continued to stare. Amusement flickered across her features, despite the black circle that formed around one of her eyes, and she giggled as she rested her hooves on the table before her.

“I assume you both have many questions for me?” she said.

Silence reigned. Mr. Ruby did not budge from his post at the door, nor did he move at all. His face was set like stone, eyes unmoving, unblinking.

“I can understand if you feel a bit betrayed by my actions,” she said again. “But I assure you, if you ask, I will answer.”

“What exactly…” Twilight tried. The words died in her mouth, and it was all she could do to not choke on them by swallowing a growing lump in her throat.

Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s. They exchanged a quiet glance. Dash could see the uncertainty in Twilight’s eyes, and she knew she could expect the same in her own. She nodded, before turning to the pony addressing them.

“What the hay is going on here!?” she shouted.

Victoire blinked. She leaned back into her chair, her expression unchanged. “You don’t have to shout, unless that is how you prefer your questions to be asked.”

Dash shook her head. “What I’d really like to know is why you were playing with us.”

Victoire tilted her head. “Playing? I’m not certain if that’s the word I would use."

“Well, I don’t know what else it could be! We walked into a map store and ended up being chased across the city by a bunch of goons looking to ponynap us!”

“I admit, the theatrics of it were… excessive, but I assumed you both might at least be somewhat receptive to it.”

“Receptive how, exactly?” Dash sat back in her chair and crossed her forelegs. “Because as I see it, this is a pretty weird way of greeting ponies. With all the lying an’ all.”

Victorie turned to Twilight. “Well, I understand that Miss Twilight is fond of books and history, and would most definitely enjoy what cultures the city had to offer. The art galleries and the Catacombs were an easy way to pique her interests.”

Victoire fluttered her eyes to Dash. “You’re interests were far more exciting to plan. You are a daredevil, I understand? You seek thrill and excitement, and I would assume at the very least, adventure, no?”

Dash blinked. “Well, couldn’t you just… I dunno… asked us? Hung out with us the normal way?”

Victoire grinned. “Because it is so simple for one of royalty to wander around the city freely.” She turned to Twilight. “Miss Twilight, can you say that Princess Celestia has such freedoms?”

Twilight looked up, meeting Victoire’s gaze. She looked away suddenly, scuffing the table with her hooves. “N-no, I guess not. Anytime Celestia goes anywhere, it’s always a huge event, even in Ponyville.”

Victoire’s grin widened. “So then, perhaps you can see the merit of my deception. I merely wished to get to know you both, without the hassles of my station or the bother of my name. I wanted to know you, as normal, everyday ponies. Nothing more.”

“So why the big chase across the city?” Dash asked. “That doesn’t sound like a good way to meet ponies either.”

Victoire laughed. “As I said, a bit of excitement to liven things up. You cannot say you did not enjoy the thrill of it all, can you? You are well known as heroes of Equestria many times over. I felt a simple chase by average ponies would be foals play for you compared to changelings and draconequi.”

Dash’s mouth opened to speak, but she stopped herself. She scrunched her face in thought, looking into space. Her gaze fell back to Victoire’s. “Well… I guess it was kinda fun. Like being in a Daring Do book.”

“Yes, the Maltese Gryphon.” Victoire winked. “That one is my favorite.”

Dash grinned. “You know, the thief in that story was called Miss Vanilla.”

“Yes, she is a wonderful character. I’m glad you approve of the pseudonym.”

“But what if something went wrong?” Twilight said. “You couldn’t have planned for every contingency! As far as I was concerned, I felt like we were actually in danger!”

Victoire frowned. “Such is the risk of planning such an event.” She sighed. “But I suppose you are right. Allow me then, to offer my deepest apology. There are only so many ways I can meet new ponies without them tripping over themselves to kiss at my hooves or lavish me with praise, and I desired a genuine accord with you, at least before the formalities played a part.”

Mr. Ruby cleared his throat. “The formalities would lessen the chances of being thrown against a fence in the future.”

Dash frowned at Mr. Ruby. “So who is this guy, anyways?”

Victoire looked over her shoulder to Ruby briefly. “Mr. Ruby is the head of my guard. He has been a protector of my family for generations. He guarded my mother, and her mother as well.”

Mr. Ruby smirked. “Now, I guard the little mouse and make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble with her little games.” He glanced to Dash. “I apologise if I frightened you, Miss Dash, before the smoke. Acting is one of my older passions, and if I must endure her Majesty’s little games, I may as well offer a good show.”

Dash’s skin bristled. “I wasn’t scared! You just caught me off guard. I coulda taken you if I was more prepared.”

Victorie giggled. “Mr. Ruby does not approve of my… ‘expeditions’ into the city.”

Ruby let out a gruff chuckle. “Your mother wasn’t as troublesome when she was young.”

“My mother was also dreadfully boring, and still is, Mr. Ruby.” Victoire smiled. “She still thinks it is best the populace sees as little of the royalty as possible.”

“It certainly is a safer choice.”

Victoire shook her head and sighed. “Despite the little chases we get into, Mr. Ruby, I have never felt a lack of safety while out in the city.”

“Because your guards are the ones chasing you.”

“Those were actually guards?” Twilight asked. She swallowed a lump in her throat and sunk into her chair. “Then that means...”

Ruby laughed. “Do not worry, Miss Sparkle. The two guards you incapacitated are fine. Getting thrown against a wall is getting off easy when dealing with her Majesty and her games.”

Victoire frowned. “You play tag with your own guards through the city and you never hear the end of it.”

Twilight let out a weak chuckle. “I guess it was kind of fun. I’d never expect Princess Celestia to do a thing like that.”

“It would be pretty awesome if she did, though,” Dash said.

Dash and Twilight shared a smile and glanced back to Victoire. She too was smiling, before turning in her chair to look at Mr. Ruby. “Would you mind fetching some refreshments, Mr. Ruby? I am famished from all the running today, and I would assume the same of our guests.”

“Something to eat does sound good,” Twilight said.

Ruby nodded. “I shall fetch something sweet, then.” He bowed once to Victoire before leaving the room.

Dash watched him leave and caught Victorie doing the same. She kept a careful eye on the door as it closed behind Ruby, before she turned back to face her.

“Now that he’s gone...” Victoire said. “Perhaps I can be a bit more candid.”

Dash noticed Twilight raise an eyebrow, and she felt herself doing the same. “About what?” Twilight asked.

“Why I did what I did. Certainly what I said earlier was true, but I suppose there are other reasons why I was so set on meeting you two.” Victorie rose from her seat and walked over to the window. The sunlight poured over her, illuminating her bright sapphire mane and the golden crown on her head.

“Has Celestia ever expressed loneliness, Miss Sparkle?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. Has she ever seemed alone? Distressed over the lack of company true to her as a pony, and not as a princess?”

Twilight blinked a few times. “I... don’t know. I practically grew up as her student, and spent almost every day with her. I never noticed anything like that. We would stay up for hours sometimes, talking about all kinds of things: magic, history, the importance of friendship.” She shot a quick smirk at Dash. “Her favorite subject though was the night sky. We spent so much time talking about the celestial bodies. Mostly I was the one interested in the stars, but she always brought the subject back to...”

Twilight blinked again, and her mouth dropped open. She stared, not making a sound save for a sharp inhalation of air.

Dash tilted her head. “Subject back to what, Twi?”

“...the moon. She always talked about the moon. The way she stared at it. I can't believe I never realised it until now. She was lonely. She missed her sister, for over a thousand years.”

Victoire nodded. “I do not have the lifespan of an alicorn, so I have considerably less time to make friends. The values of harmony and friendship are just as strong here as any land that pays homage to Celestia, so I too know the importance of making friends.” She let out a heavy sigh. “But as a Queen, it is rather hard to make friends who are true.”

“What do you mean?” Dash asked. “You have a castle full of ponies that will do anything for you.”

Victoire scoffed. “They do so out of service to the throne. Not to me personally. I regard them fondly for their diligence, but it is hard to quantify a friendship based on the fact that they are required to do as I ask.”

Dash scratched her head. “Oh... I guess that makes sense.”

“So you see the reason for my little deception.” Victoire placed a hoof on the window. “I love my people. I do all that I can to make their lives as enjoyable as possible. I would not have known that the workers of the old city were so overburdened and ready to revolt. As Vanille, I was able to stop it, by giving them the reparations they deserved.

“But that does not mean I cannot feel like a prisoner to my service to them. Sometimes, I just want to be myself, to be my own pony. As Queen, it is very difficult to do so. That is why is why Vanille exists.”

“Did any of the other queens do something like that?” Dash said.

Victoire laughed. “My mother was actually afraid to leave the palace sometimes. Do not misunderstand, she was a wonderful queen. The people loved her just as much as any queen, but I cannot say she was as outgoing as me, or her mothers before her.”

“What about that painting back at the museum? The first Victoire left the country, just to visit Celestia!”

Victoire turned from the window. “Which is exactly what I would love to do someday.”

“I guess that’s why you asked so many questions about Celestia,” Twilight said.

She nodded. “Celestia is a pony I know only through pictures and stories. She hasn’t been back to Prance in over three hundred years, before my great grandmother.”

Twilight glanced down at the table. “I guess she has been getting busier these days. Even with Luna back...”

“Maybe something will come up,” Dash said. “Something that will give Celestia a bit more time to herself.”

Victoire shrugged and trotted back to her seat. “I doubt such a solution will spring out of the ground. But I have seen stranger things.”

As she sat down, the door opened. Ruby entered the room with a second pony behind him. He was pushing a small cart covered with plates. On top of those was an assortment of pastries, cookies and candies. Dash and Twilight eyed the cart, licking their lips.

Ruby and the servant halted just beside the table and bowed towards Victoire. “The sweets you requested, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ruby, Mr. Beignet,” she said. “They look delicious.” The plates glowed sapphire as Victoire plucked them from the cart and placed them on the table, some in front of her and some between Twilight and Dash. “Please, eat. The bakers here are the finest in all of Prance.”

Dash had already snatched a doughnut and bit into it, while Twilight grabbed some cookies. After their first bites, they both froze mid-chew. They glanced down to the plates they had taken, then to the baker, and finally to Victorie. She was smiling from behind a teacup as she sipped quietly.

“These taste amazing!” Dash exclaimed, swallowing her food and reaching for more.

“I’m glad you enjoy them. Feel free to take as much as you want. Consider it my gift to you, for bearing with me today.”

Twilight smiled. “It was nothing, your Majesty. It was the least we could do for a friend.”

Dash stopped inhaling pastries long enough to see Victoire almost drop her tea. She staggered a moment, the cup wavering in her magic. It floated slowly down to the table, fully revealing her surprised expression.

“You... you truly mean that... don’t you?”

Twilight nodded, and so did Dash. “Yes. All things considered, I think Dash and I had fun today.”

“You bet!” Dash said. “It was fun being the hero again. Even if it was kinda fake.”

Victorie was still. She lifted a hoof to her face and rubbed at her cheek and quickly cleared her throat. “Mr. Ruby. Did you get the other thing I requested?”

He nodded. “Of course, your Majesty.” His horn glowed as he grabbed something from the lower shelf of the pastry cart. It was a small rectangular parcel wrapped in brown paper. It floated towards the table and landed softly in front of Twilight. She glanced down at it and placed a hoof on it, crinkling the paper slightly, before glancing up to Victoire.

“I believe that is the reason you are here, is it not? L’Histoire de Victoire. A complete history of my family, back before the Gryphon Rebellions until now. I have read every edition ever printed. It is a most fascinating history.”

Twilight grinned. “Thank you, your Majesty. I can’t wait to read it myself.”

Twilight picked up the book in her magic and popped open her bags, slipping it inside. After a few moments of rummaging, she pulled out a similarly sized book, and floated it over to Victoire. Her eyes scanned the cover and smiled.

“Equestria’s Dawn; a complete history,” she read. “An appropriate title.”

“Most of the research notes are actually mine and Celestia’s,” Twilight said, blushing. “History was one of my favorite subjects, but I never expected Celestia to use my homework to make a book like this.”

“Then I look forward to reading it as well.” She floated the book from the table towards Mr. Ruby. “Mr. Ruby, see to it that this book is catalogued properly, then sent to my room.” She smirked at Twilight. “No sense wasting time.”

Ruby nodded, and took the book in his magic. He gestured to the baker, and the two of them filed out of the room.

After they were gone again, Victoire rose from her seat again and circled towards Twilight and Dash. “Now then. Is there anything else that you wish to do while you are here? I must admit that you were correct about not having time to meet with me tomorrow, which is another reason I wanted to see you today. I will be busy watching the festivities tomorrow with my mother, and travelling through the city will be time consuming indeed.”

Twilight raised a hoof to her chin. “Well... I would love to see more of the palace. It looked so big from the outside.”

Victoire nodded. “A simple request, which I can even do myself.” She turned to Dash. “What about you, Miss Dash? Is there anything special you wish to do while in my company?”

Dash thought a moment, staring in Twilight’s direction. A smile formed at the corner of her lips, as an idea came to mind. It wasn’t much of a thought, but considering how the day had gone, she felt that Twilight would enjoy some peace. “No, I’m fine. Whatever Twi wants to do is fine with me. Maybe I’ll get used to this fancy schmancy stuff one of these days.”

“Are you sure, Dash? “Twilight asked. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I won’t force it on you.”

Dash remembered back to the flight over the ocean and what Sea Swirl had told her. Just show the interest... Her smile brightened. “I’m sure, Twi.”

Chapter Eleven

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Eleven

Early Birdie

Early the next morning, Rainbow Dash was wandering down a quiet street. The sun was just beginning to rise, and already crowds of ponies were in the middle of departing their homes and hurrying into the city center.

She was glad to be moving in the opposite direction, away from the crowds and noise that would accompany it. After the previous day’s events, she was looking forward for a day on a train, if only to put up her hooves and relax.

“You know, you didn’t have to follow us out,” she said, turning to the cloaked pony walking beside her.

She caught sight of a smile underneath her hooded companion, and a glimpse of shining olive eyes. “Of course I must,” Victoire said. “It is a custom of friends to see each other off is it not?” She chuckled. “Or is it that you feel embarrassment for giving the queen a black eye?”

Dash’s eyes darted. “Uh… I… uh…”

“Do not worry, Miss Dash. As I said yesterday, I deserved it for playing my games with you. I expected a similar outcome no matter how the day would have unfolded, considering what I do know of you.”

Dash frowned. “What, you expected me to hit you? What did you hear to think I like hitting ponies?”

Victoire turned to Dash and winked. “I do read the newspaper. I will say well done. That old windbag Cranberry has always been an insufferable child over his country’s history.”

“Huh, never expected to be congratulated for attacking a royal.”

“I would recommend not making a habit of it, however. If my eye is any indication, the next royal you meet might end up with something broken.”

Dash grumbled as Victoire laughed. She threw her head back slightly, causing her hood to shift and revealing the black circle around her eye. It had grown since Dash saw it last and she winced as she stared at it. “That eye’s not going to be a problem, is it? I’m pretty sure ponies will ask questions. I don’t think Twilight could handle us being in another headline.”

Victoire's laughter dropped to a chuckle. “If I was able to fool you with a disguise like this, a black eye is nothing difficult to conceal." There was a brief flash of sapphire light from underneath her hood. She peeked out at Dash, showing a now pristine white coat. "I assure you no pony will notice, not even my mother. Only Ruby and his guards know what happened, and they understand my intentions.”

Dash shrugged. They continued down the road, and she glanced at the crowds milling about. “Shouldn’t you be... I dunno, at your palace waiting for the party to start?”

Victoire shook her head. “It will still be several hours before the festivities begin.” She glanced at the many ponies shuffling along, paying neither of the two mares any mind as they dashed past them. “And they are only getting started with their day. I promise I will return with plenty of time to spare.”

“If you say so...” Dash tilted her head up, peering over the small crowd at the end of the street. She frowned and took off into the a low hover to gaze over the gathering crowds. “Now where did Twilight get off to? She said she was going to get a spot in line at the train station for tickets, but I can’t see her.”

“You are not worried about her, are you?”

Dash landed, giving Victoire a curious look. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I have noticed that you have a strong concern with her well being. A little more so than I would expect among friends.”

Dash’s eyes widened, and her ears folded back. “Um...I...uh...”

“And your… interesting reaction back in the catacombs…”

Dash gulped and uttered a series of stammers.

Victoire smirked. “I see... Say no more, my dear. I understand.”

Dash glanced sideways, avoiding Victoire’s eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Miss Dash,” Victoire said, with no lack of seriousness. “Prance is considered many things by the world, but it is foremost the land of the heart. I can see a love-struck pony from miles away.”

Dash froze in the street. She stared at the ground, scuffing her hooves. “Great... so I’m obvious to random cooks on cruise ships and the Queen of Prance, but not Twilight. Don’t I feel lucky?”

“Yes... that does seem to be an obstacle. Miss Sparkle does miss the subtleties a bit.” Victoire started off again, and Dash moved her hooves again to keep in step. “Would you like my advice?”

Dash didn’t answer, instead giving Victorie another curious look.

“Just ask her! You only do more harm to yourself than good if you keep bottling these feelings.”

“I—I will! One of these days. When the time is right.”

Victoire rolled her eyes. “You may find that time approach faster than you want. You are better off taking charge and making the right time instead of waiting for it.”

The two walked on in silence a while longer. The crowd had thinned to a few isolated ponies trotting towards a large archway. Dash heard a loud whistle screech from the other side of the nearby walls, as well as grinding metal. She and Victoire halted just in front of the threshold of the station, not saying a word.

Victoire eventually shook her head. ‘It is only my advice, Miss Dash. It is not my place to question you on your choices. But I do hope you will consider my words seriously, at least for your heart’s sake.”

"It would be easier if I didn't have to worry about competing with other ponies who share her interests more than I do. Like art galleries and stuff."

Victoire raised an eyebrow, before her eyes widened. "You do not mean to think..." She let a snort as she brought her hoof to her mouth, before she burst into laughter. Dash felt her skin bristle as she frowned at her laughing companion. Several eyes started glancing their way, which raised her frustration further.

"You..." Victoire gasped. "You thought I was flirting with miss Twilight? What made you think that?"

Dash swallowed a lump. "W-well, you were getting all close with her in the galleries, whispering like a bunch of fillies in Prancy..."

Victoire's laughter descended into a series of snickers. "I was merely being polite."

"It certainly didn't look like that."

"Twilight seems to be the type to be engrossed in her interests. It was part of my overly ambitious idea to meet you two to simply cater to your interests, and as I said yesterday, Twilight's were easier."

She cleared her throat. "But I apologize again, if I appeared to be stepping on on your hooves in your heart's pursuit. It was most certainly not my intention. I do not claim to know Miss Twilight's preferences in romance, or yours by extent, but I assure you my interests do not fall that way." She winked at Dash. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

Dash opened her mouth to say something, when an angry voice shouted from inside.

“Vous ne pouvez pas être sérieux!”

Dash and Victoire both turned at the voice. “That sounded like Twilight,” Dash said.

“Indeed...”

The two dashed under the arch and turned a corner. A wall of booths sat on the other side, each with a small line of ponies queued up. The booths each had a single, blue uniformed pony inside, accepting money and stamping tickets, except for the last one.

Dash saw Twilight at the far end, and was shouting in Prancy at the ticket vendor. He had an apologetic look on his face as Twilight ranted. Dash and Victoire rushed up beside her.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?”

Twilight spun around. Beads of liquid were forming at the corners of her eyes. Dash’s heart began to race, seeing Twilight like this. While she might have been on the verge of tears, her face was set in anger. She let out a weak, choking breath and sputtered, “All of the trains to Germane are cancelled!”

“What?!” Dash exchanged a glance with Victoire, who shared her feeling of shock.

Victoire stepped up to the vendor. “Est-ce qu'elle dit est vrai? Les trains à Germane sont vraiment annulé?”

The vendor nodded. “Avalanches ont coupé toutes les routes d'ici à Germane. I’ll y a rien nous pouvons faire.”

“What did he say?” Dash asked.

“There have been avalanches in the mountains,” Victorie said. “All of the train routes have been blocked from Prance for the next few days while they get cleared.”

“But that means...”

“It means...” Twilight interjected. “We’ll be late to meet with the chancellors of Germane, and all the subsequent rulers after that.” Twilight shuddered, but maintained herself. “Celestia is going to be so mad at me for missing all these appointments...”

“Hey now. It can’t be as big a deal as that.” Dash placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m sure if we explain what happened, they’ll understand.”

“Maybe, but I had so many plans for the trip outside of these deliveries. If we miss our train, we might not get to see any of them, even with the extra day we gained here.”

Dash thought a moment. She knew Twilight had thought ahead for every stop of the trip, and if they fell through... She shook her head. Not going to happen, she thought. “There has to be something we can do.”

“Perhaps there is...” Victorie said. She moved closer to the booth, almost close enough to press her nose to the glass and spoke to the vendor in Prancy. Dash could only see the back of Victoire’s hooded head as she made gestures with her hooves as she spoke.

Dash didn’t try to understand what was being said, instead focusing on his face. The vendor nodded occasionally, responding in normal volumes. He shook his head a few times, and other times he shrugged. Victoire started talking quieter and quieter until Dash couldn’t hear a word she was saying. There was a faint glimmer of light that reflected off the glass booth, and the vendor’s eyes widened.

His mouth hung open, as staggered responses struggled to escape his mouth. Dash saw Victoire lift a hoof up towards her hood, and heard the faintest of giggles. The vendor nodded slowly and stepped back in his booth to open the back door and shout, “Passe-Partout!”

Victoire turned back, a victorious smile on her face. “I believe now they might have something.”

Twilight and Dash stared in disbelief. “What did you do?” Dash said.

Victoire’s smile widened. “I just told him it would be in the best... interest... of the crown to see you to Germane as quickly as possible. He is collaborating with other attendants for an alternate route.”

“Really?” Twilight said, her shaky voice slowly evaporating.

At that moment, a second stallion appeared in the booth. He and the other vendor whispered to each other, and the new stallion’s eyes also widened. The newcomer approached the glass and cleared his throat. He cast a quick glance in Victoire’s direction, before shifting his gaze to Twilight.

“My apologies, madam. My name is Passe-Partout, and my colleague says you are trying to get to Germane?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

Passe-Partout nodded. “I am sorry to say that the avalanches have stopped all trains to that region for some time, but there might be an alternate route, if you do not mind a detour.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “A detour? To where?”

Passe-Partout shuffled some papers on the desk in front of him, eyes flicking around the pages.

“A train is scheduled to depart for Antlerdam in the next hour. You would have to spend a night there, and the following morning be on a train for Germane through the northern mountains which have not been blocked.”

“Antlerdam?” Dash said. “You mean the Antlerdam?”

Twilight glanced at her. “You know it?”

“Not personally, but I hear it’s got a big nightlife scene.”

“What kind of nightlife?”

Dash shrugged. “Parties, dancing, music. Ponies travel from all over just to go to Antlerdam for a good time. Cloud Kicker told me it was pretty awesome.”

Twilight chewed her lip. “I’m not sure if I’m completely comfortable with that.”

“The city’s nightlife is not the only charm Antlerdam holds, Miss Sparkle,” Victoire said. “Antlerdam is one of the oldest cities of the Doelands. It is a cultural haven, and played a major part in the Gryphon Rebellions. I’m sure you could find something for your interests as well.”

“Well... I guess so. I mean if it its the best way for us to get to Germane on time, what choice do we have?”

“Very well, madam,” Passe-Partout said. He reached down into his booth, and there was a quick clicking noise. He withdrew two stamped tickets and passed them through the opening in the booth. “Here are your tickets. The train is quite full, but I managed to put you in a car with one other passenger, so it should not be too crowded.”

Twilight nodded and took the tickets. “Thank you very much.”

Passe-Partout nodded and stepped out of the booth, allowing his colleague back in. Twilight turned around with the tickets in tow, and smiled at Victoire. “Thank you so much, Your Majesty. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Victoire waved a hoof. “Think nothing of it. It is the least I could do for your kindness and friendship.”

Twilight paused a moment, then popped open her bags. She pulled out a quill and a small piece of scroll. After a quick scribble, she offered the scrap to Victoire. She eyed the paper curiously.

Twilight grinned. “It’s my postal address. Feel free to write me whenever you want. And I promise I’ll speak to Celestia about visiting. I’m sure she has to have some free time in the future, even if I have to be the one who gives it to her.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea, Twi. Here, lemme write mine.” Dash took the quill from Twilight’s magic and inscribed her own information on the scroll before returning it to Victoire.

Victoire gave them both a fond smile. “Thank you. This means more than you know, Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash. I will write as often as I can.”

Twilight nodded. “I look forward to it.”

A whistle rang out from inside the station, prompting the three mares to glance past the ticket booths. There was a noticeable increase in movement from inside, as droves of ponies began filing in and out of the station grounds. Victoire heaved a heavy sigh. “I suppose this is where we part ways, my friends.”

Dash exchanged a look with Twilight, and shrugged her head towards Victoire. It took a moment before Twilight understood, but she eventually managed to smile and nod. They quickly trotted up to Victoire and gave her a hug. Victorie inhaled a sharp breath, and held it for as long as the embrace lasted.

When it finally ended, she released her grip on Dash and Twilight, quickly rubbing at her cheek. “Please visit again soon, and enjoy the rest of your journey.”

“We will, your Majesty,” Twilight said.

Dash watched Victoire turn around and out of the station. She saw Mr. Ruby standing outside with a carriage waiting, his face set in its ever present expression of stone. Just before she was out of earshot, Dash took a step forward.

“Oh, and Victoire?” she said.

Victoire stopped and turned her head, eyebrow raised.

Dash grinned. “Thanks for making this part an adventure. And happy birthday.”

Victoire smiled. She turned back, and instead of walking back to her carriage, she skipped, humming all the way.

*****

Twilight led the way as she and Dash squeezed through the hall of the train cars as they searched for their compartment.

Passe-Partout clearly must have had a different definition of ‘quite full’ as the two mares quickly found themselves navigating their way around ponies who were not lucky enough to secure a car of their own.

The shaking of the already moving train didn’t make it any easier, as it caused them to bump into the cramped passengers, eliciting a few foul looks and seething glares. They let out as many harrowed apologies as they could manage, before they finally came to the end of the train.

Twilight held her ticket in the air, and compared the inscription to the lettering on the final door of the car. She turned back to Dash and nodded. “This is it.”

Dash watched Twilight slide the door open with her magic, but as she went to follow her inside, she ran into her friend. She scratched her head, and tilted her head around Twilight. “What’s wrong, Twi?”

As she peered around her frozen friend, she saw what had drawn her attention. Like Passe-Partout had mentioned, the car they were assigned wouldn’t be empty. She had expected it to be another travelling pony, not a gryphon. But here one was, lying back in her seat, her forelegs crossed over her chest, which was covered in a white patterned shirt. A black beret sat on her face, hiding it completely. The only thing it did not mask was the sound of her gentle snoring.

Dash wedged herself in between Twilight and the doorframe to get a better look.

“Do you think she’s really asleep?” Twilight asked.

“I think so,” Dash said. “It’s actually kind of hard to fake snoring.”

“And you would know that why?”

Dash shrugged. “Eh, I nap enough to know there’s a difference. Even Applejack can tell when I’m not really asleep just to get out of a few chores.”

Twilight giggled and glanced at the opposite seat. Dash watched Twilight sit down on the far end of the seat, floating her bags to the luggage rack above her head. She smiled at Dash and patted the seat next to her. “Well, there is enough room for the both of us on this side. As long as we keep quiet, we should be able to avoid disturbing her.”

Dash gulped and moved to sit beside Twilight. “Y-yeah... sounds good. Gryphons aren’t known for being morning types.”

“Did you know that from your time with Gilda?”

Dash shrugged. “More or less. The Junior Speedsters was like a summer camp at a big school, with double rooms. We ended up sharing one for a few summers, and waking her up for class was not a fun experience.”

“Hmm,” Twilight mused. She looked up at her bags, and reached inside with her magic, pulling out her atlas. “Well, it’s a few hours to Antlerdam at least, that gives me some time to read up on what the city has to offer. I never honestly considered going there, so this will be a bit interesting.”

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about the place, but I guess that’s from others. As long as we stick together, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Twilight nodded at her, then turned her attention to her book. Dash watched her flip through the pages, and that was enough for her that quiet time had begun. Dash chose then to rummage through her own bags and dig out something to amuse her for the trip. She found the book she had purchased in Buckingham. She hadn’t even read it yet, and with a shrug, decided now was as good a time as any. City of Owls, she read. Book One of the Crystal Hooves Saga. Huh. I guess this could be good.

*****

Dash was almost ten chapters in when the train began rocking. The violent motions of the train shook her out of the story, and found herself looking out the window. Tall jagged mountains surrounded them, capped with touches of white at their peaks.

Dash saw that Twilight was looking up from her book too. Every so often, her horn glowed brighter, maintaining her hold on her book against the jarring motion of the train.

“Bumpy ride, eh?” Dash said.

“Tell me about it. I’m about to dro—”

Dash yelped as the train car bucked suddenly. Her hooves flailed around as the book she was holding stumbled out of her grip and flew towards the sleeping gryphon. She tried to reach out and grab it, but it was already too far. It sailed towards the gryphon, when a lavender glow snatched it inches from her head.

“Nice save, Twi.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “That was too close.”

Dash glanced at the gryphon. “How is she still asleep? Even I would have woken up from a buck like that.”

“Maybe she’s used to trains, or—”

The train rocked again. The surge was even stronger this time, and Dash found it hard even to stay in her seat. The was a loud rattle above her, and she looked up. Across from them was another luggage rack, holding what appeared to be a black, wing-shaped case. It rumbled and bounced around the metal poles holding it above the slumbering gryphon when it suddenly hopped off.

It landed square on the gryphon’s stomach. She lurched upright with a loud squawk, propelling the hat from her head. The case didn’t stop there, though. After it had tackled its owner, it proceeded to bounce across the seats and land on Twilight. She let out a loud ‘oof!’ and the glow around her horn sputtered out.

Dash glanced back to the gryphon in time to see the suspended book land on her head. She plucked the book in her talons and eyed it curiously.

Without the book, or her hat, Dash finally got a better look at her. She blinked a pair of bright sunny eyes as she twitched the book in her claws. Her amethyst crown feathers bounced with the motions of the train. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the object in her talons. After a while, she smiled.

“I realize this wasn’t my best work, but striking me with it? That’s just silly.”

Dash tilted her head. “Uh... what?”

The gryphon turned her attention to her. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She held the book up. “I was just lamenting on the irony of my craft. It isn’t often you get hit with your own prose over the head.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dash...” Twilight said, almost in a whisper.

Dash turned to see Twilight was clutching the case that had landed on her. She was staring at the gryphon across from her, but was indicating a small bronze fixture on the case with a tap of her hoof. Dash squinted to read the tiny embossed writing. Property of Edweena Talonmark.

Dash scratched her head. “Where have I heard that name before?”

“Dash!” Twilight almost hissed her name. “She wrote Daring Do!”

Dash stared at her, then to the gryphon. She watched the two ponies across from her with an amused smirk. “Oh dear, it seems I’ve been recognized.”

Dash’s brain struggled to process the information she had just acquired. Bits of thought slowly trickled out and formed into words that tumbled out of her mouth. “You...wrote... Daring Do?”

She shrugged. “I suppose I did, yes.”

Dash stared on. “You wrote Daring Do?” Her words came a little faster this time.

The gryphon raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Something clicked in Dash’s mind, and as it did, she fell back and rolled in her seat, giggling and shrieking. Dash’s wings buzzed behind her, and she hopped in place as her smiled threatened to spread all around her head.

The gryphon frowned slightly and glanced to Twilight. “I take it she’s a fan of my work?”

Twilight smirked at Dash, then nodded at the gryphon. “I guess you could say that.”

She smiled. “I’ve met plenty of fans in my travels, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one like this.”

“It’s just an honor to meet you in person, Mrs. Talonmark. I’ve read all your books.”

She lifted up a claw. “Ah, please call me Edie.” She reached the claw across the seats to Twilight, holding it open.

Twilight smiled and shook her claw. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and my excitable friend here is Rainbow Dash.”

Dash sprang up from her seat and offered her hoof as well, and shook Edie’s claw almost twice as hard. “I’m your biggest fan!” she squealed.

Edie grinned. “I can see that. I’m glad you enjoyed my books so much, Rainbow Dash.”

After she was done shaking Dash’s hoof, her eyes wandered back to Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, now that’s a name you don’t hear often out here.”

Twilight leaned back in her seat. “You... you know me?”

Edie winked. “A good author does their research, and one should know everything she can about the world she lives in, whether fact or fiction. The prized student of Princess Celestia definitely falls in the category of interesting. How the fates have conspired to put us in the same train care only adds to the intrigue.”

“It sounds like a book in the making.”

Edie paused. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. Every moment has a story to tell, if you only know how to tell it. I’ll have to write this down.”

“You might need this back, then.” Twilight lifted the case and floated it over to Edie.

She took it, laid it on the seat next to her and opened it. “But first...” She pulled out a blonde colored quill from inside, took Dash’s book in her claws and scribbled something on the first page. After she was done, she offered it back to Dash.

Dash’s hooves quivered as she took her book back, and glanced at the first page. A large flourishing signature graced the inside of of the book. She stared in awe at the ink for a moment, before looking up to Edie.

“Th-thank you...” she whispered. The clutched the book against her chest, took a deep breath, and shouted. “This is so awesome!”

“You are most welcome,” Edie said, turning back to Twilight. She took out a black book from her bags and opened it, pressing the quill to the page. While she went about her writing, Twilight leaned over to Dash, who was still hugging her book.

“Looks like this detour was a good idea after all.”

Chapter Twelve

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Twelve

Rainbow Veins

“So you’re saying Daring Do is a real pony?” Dash asked, as she, Twilight and Edie stepped out of the station.

“More or less,” Edie said. “I traveled with an archaeologist for a time after I left my homeland to explore the world. I wouldn't say she was as... adventurous... as I pegged Daring, but the personalities are certainly the same.”

“I always wondered why she seemed so real,” Twilight said.

Edie smirked. “You would be surprised how realistic a character you can make from someone you know.”

“Where is she now?” Dash asked.

She shrugged. “She’s retired now. She opened a bookstore in Buckingham, but I’ve been so busy travelling I haven’t had the time to visit her for a while.”

The three of them stopped outside the station, and Dash finally took the time to look around. The train station was situated on a tall hill overlooking a valley just beside it. The roads were a lot like the ones from Prance and Great Brayton, but they looked centuries older. The hewn stone was almost red in its age.

Trees were present in the roads at regular intervals, identically trimmed. Black lanterns hung from each one, and a dull glow emitted from them all, noticeable even in the daylight. A brisk wind drifted across the hill and into the valley, brushing through the trees and filling the air with the sound of rustling leaves.

Down in the valley, Dash saw the city below stretch on into the mountain walls. Stone, tree and earth were everywhere, and she could even see specks of blue in between the spider web of streets.

“Wow,” Dash said. “Victoire wasn’t kidding. This place looks amazing.”

“It’s beautiful,” Twilight added. “‘How did I not come across this in my travel plans?”

“Antlerdam is one of those cherished treasures of Equus,” Edie said. “The deer folk do what they can to keep this place pristine.”

“I would assume so."

“They do an admirable job. This is my third time visiting, and it seems to get more radiant every time.”

“Heh,” Dash chuckled. “Applejack and I know a few deer that live near Ponyville. They are pretty cool. Real earthy types.”

“They love being festive, that’s for certain. It is rare that you won’t find one of them setting up a get-together where everyone is invited.”

“I bet Pinkie Pie would love this place, then.”

Edie nodded, then looked off into the city below. “I believe now is the time we part ways. My publisher is meeting me here of all places to finalize my next book and he hates to be kept waiting.” She stole a quick glance to Dash with a smirk. “And I’d hate to keep my number one fan waiting for her favorite book.”

Dash grinned. “I can’t wait.”

Edie shared a smile with her, then spread her wings and gave them a practice flap. “It was wonderful meeting you both, and perhaps the next time I’m in Equestria, we can meet again.”

“That would be lovely,” Twilight said.

Edie smiled, and prodded at the case stashed underneath her wing. She gave a satisfied nod, and her wings began to beat in a more thorough rhythm. She leaped into the air with a grunt and soared off into the valley.

Twilight and Dash watched her vanish into a tiny speck in the distance. After, they looked down the road into the city proper. “So...” Dash said, casting an expectant glance at Twilight. “A day in Antlerdam, what should we do?”

“Well...” Twilight said, scratching her chin. “First we need to find a map, and a hotel for the night. After that...” She shrugged. “Whatever we can come across I suppose.”

“Whoa...” Dash said, smirking. “Twilight Sparkle... without a plan? That’s new.”

Twilight responded by poking her in the sides. “Hush you,” she said, mirroring Dash’s smile. “I can make things up as I go if I want to. I just choose not to.”

“Maybe I should pick what we do, if I see something cool.”

Twilight glanced up, eyes lost in thought. “You know... that sounds like a great idea.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You know a little more about this place than I do, so maybe you will have a better idea of what could be fun.”

Dash had plenty of first hoof accounts from her friends and co workers about the sights that Antlerdam had to offer. There were a lot of places that Dash could see herself seeing if she ever got around to visiting, and here she was now, standing over it with a dozen ideas forming at once at what she wanted to do first.

But, as her mind was quick to remind her, Twilight coming along was never part of those scenarios. Dash’s brow furrowed a moment as she glanced quickly at Twilight. There are a lot of places I’m not sure she’d enjoy. And asking her to do something she wouldn’t like might be pushing it a bit too far. I already screwed up when I said I didn’t like the art galleries, so I need to find something we both can enjoy.

Dash scratched her head. Her list of options shrunk with the inclusion of Twilight, but there was still a lot to account for, especially when she hadn’t been here before on her own. I guess we’ll deal with that when we come to it.

“Well, let’s get your things out of the way, then we can go searching. It’s a big city, I’m sure we can find something, Twi.”

Twilight nodded, and gestured down the road. “We might be able to find what we’re looking for down here. Let’s go.”

*****

Dash sat in the lobby of an immaculate hotel. Ruby red rugs trimmed with gold lined the floors near the door. Whatever wasn’t carpeted was made of polished tile and granite the color of ancient oak. Large columns flanked the entrance, and were covered with silver lanterns that filled the room with light.

She was leaning against the lobby counter, with a map in her hooves. It rustled and crinkled as she turned it this way and that, trying to get her bearings and, if she was lucky, find someplace fun to visit. At least until Twilight returned from dropping off their bags in their room.

“Find anything interesting?” Dash looked up from the map and turned her head. The concierge was looking at her. He was a deer a good foot taller than Dash, but was far thinner than any equine. His coat was a matted brown, and his antlers shone as if polished.

“Not really,” Dash replied, turning back to the map. “I don’t really know the city all that well. Only from friends who have.”

He nodded. “Ah, first visit then? Well, Antlerdam is a big city. There's plenty to do, if you know what to look for.”

“Hmm. That’s the problem, really. I’m not sure what I am looking for. I need to find something both me and my friend can enjoy.”

“Different interests, eh?”

“You could say that. There’s gotta be something here we can do together.”

“Well, in my experience, when all else fails, go with music.”

Dash glanced back. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone likes music. Every type, every kind. It’s one of those universal appreciations, and Antlerdam is at no loss for good music.” His blinked. “In fact, there are a few music festivals that should still be going on just a few blocks from here.”

Dash stroked her chin. “Really...”

“Have you found anything, Dash?”

Dash stood up from the desk, and saw Twilight descending the stairs towards her. She nodded. “I think so, Bucky here says that there’s some music thing going on we could check out.”

Twilight frowned. “You could at least ask his real name instead of a silly nickname.”

The concierge cleared his throat. “My name really is Bucky, Miss.”

Dash couldn’t help but snicker at Twilight’s horrified expression. “It kinda says it there on his name tag, Twi.”

“I’m so sorry!” Twilight stammered. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice!”

Bucky smiled. “It’s fine, Miss; an honest mistake. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I do hear in this place.”

Twilight’s horror faded to a mild blush and turned her head to Dash. “So, what was that about music?”

“There’s some music festival going on. We could look around there, there’s bound to be something that we can both enjoy.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about me, Dash. I’m fine with just looking around the city. The walk here was so amazing: the ancient architecture, the river channels in the streets. I never imagined it was so pretty.” She smiled. “So whatever you want to do is fine, as long as we can see as much as possible.”

“Okay...” Dash said, scratching her head. “Well, then lets get a move on. Here, you hold the map; you’re better at navigating anyways.”

Twilight nodded and grabbed the map in her magic. “How far is it to the festival?”

“It’s on the main avenue, same as the hotel,” Bucky said. “Just turn right and walk until you hear the music. Can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, Bucky,” Dash said. “Let’s go, Twi.”

*****

Antlerdam, as Dash and Twilight quickly discovered, was a very busy city in the afternoon. Deer and pony alike were out and about in the streets, all of them carrying a cart or various supplies. Everything the citizens carried around was bright in color or festive in spirit. The ones carrying them, too, were in a state of elation as they moved along at a quickened pace with their cargo.

Dash and Twilight moved at a steady pace, taking in the sights of the ancient city. Dash trotted along the edge of the channel, watching her reflection in the water below. It was crystal clear, reflecting her grin in perfect detail. Her laugh had an childish cackle to it as she skipped along the sides of the wall.

Twilight, on the other hoof was walking safely a few meters away, shaking her head at Dash’s display. “You’re going to fall in if you keep that up.”

“Chillax, Twi,” Dash said with a flap of her wings. “It’s not like I can’t use these.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “If you’re so sure.” She turned back to the map. Her hooves clicked on the street in a slow rhythm, drowned out by Dash’s energetic bouncing.

“Do you at hear any music yet?”

Dash perked her ears. She could hear the sound of hoofalls on stone, the gentle current of the water below her, and a slight breeze. Frowning, she glanced back to Twilight and shook her head. “Nope. Nothing yet.”

“Hmm. We’ve been walking for a while. Maybe we should have asked Bucky how long we should be walking.”

“Don’t worry about it, Twi. It’s still pretty early. I bet nothing’s really started yet. We’ll get there when we get there.”

Twilight shrugged, and went back to her map. Dash paused a moment, observing her friend. Dash knew impatience when she saw it, and the signs of it afflicting Twilight were starting to show itself. Twilight said she was happy enough to look around, I wonder what’s bugging her. Dash grinned. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t have a plan. I knew she’d go stir crazy eventually. I’d better find something to keep her from losing it.

“Hey, Twi. What do you know about Antlerdam? There had to have been something in that history book of yours.”

Twilight stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Dash hopped off the wall and trotted astride Twilight. “I mean, I only know this place as a red-light sort of place. A party venue. But it couldn’t possibly have been like that all the time, right?”

Twilight frowned a moment, scratching her head. She stowed the map into her bags, and pulled out her history book. “Well...aha! Here it is.” She cleared her throat, and began to read.

“Antlerdam is most well known for serving as a refuge state during the Gryphon Rebellions. It played as a neutral party from all sides of the conflict, offering safety for any who sought it.

“Deer are an interesting species. They value peace over all else, and it was their devotion to non-combatance that made their homeland such a safe place during the war.”

“They didn’t like to fight? Dash said. “Then why didn’t somepony just walk in and take over?”

Twilight chuckled. “I didn’t say that they were bad at fighting. I just said they prefered to avoid it. Deer might be a bit skinnier than most ponies, but they are very fast on the ground, and know their territories very well. Most deer back then were trained in non-lethal deterrents, in case they needed to...persuade... fighters to go elsewhere.”

“Wow, that sounds pretty cool.”

Twilight nodded. “In fact, the reason the architecture looks this way is because it blended the aesthetics of all the different nationalities that took refuge here. It’s all a mix of Great Brayton, Prance, even Germane. Most of those that hid here just stayed, and they helped build it to what it is today.”

“And then it became the biggest party city in all of the world.”

Twilight giggled. “I guess so, somewhere along the lines, anyways. The history of that gets a bit fuzzy after the war ended, and since then the city regularly celebrates peace and harmony.”

“Get’s...fuzzy... eh?” Dash chuckled. “Well, it’s a pretty chill place, now. I might have to make a point to come out here again to relax.”

“Relax from what?” Twilight smirked and poked Dash. “Are all those naps starting to tire you out?”

“Heh, good one, Twi,” Dash said, returning the playful poke. “I meant after I’m a world famous Wonderbolt. I’ll need somewhere to hide.”

Twilight giggled. “Well, you could always hide in the library. They’d never think to look for a Wonderbolt there.”

Dash froze. She felt her eye twitching as Twilight’s words started their rampage on her brain. Easy, Dash She didn’t mean it like...that...

“Dash? Is everything alright?”

Twilight had stopped just ahead. She was looking back to her with a frown and a tilted head.

Dash glanced around, trying to avoid eye contact while coming up with an answer. Her ears twitched, and she craned her head sideways. A distant sound rang in her head, and she took a few steps towards it.

“Do you hear that?” Dash said.

Twilight tilted her head as well, moving her ears. “No. I don’t hear anything.”

Dash ignored Twilight, still walking towards the noise. She came to a spot in the channel road that broke off deeper into the city. As she approached the corner, the sound became more distinct. It was music, and it was close.

She peeked her head around the corner and peered. Sure enough, there were bright lights and crowds of ponies gathered at the very far end of a long street. It was all a distorted mess from here, but there was no mistaking it.

“We’re here, Twi.”

Twilight finally made it to the corner with Dash. After she took her time peering down, she nodded and smiled. “Looks like it.”

“Well then, let’s go get this party started, huh? Can’t have a decent shindig without the coolest pony in Equestria, now can we?”

*****

The music festival, as it turned out, had consumed much more of the city than the hotel attendant had led Dash and Twilight to believe. After they had entered the crowd proper, they were assaulted from all sides by loud music, energetic dancers and extravagant displays.

Entire streets were laid out in different genres, artist and aficionado alike. They played their craft as loud as they could, proudly offering their skills in music to carry across the city as far as the sky would take it. The air itself was charged with energy, and every brick, tree, light and pony was teeming with life.

The two Ponyville natives did their best to navigate the torrent of ponies crowding the streets, but even after an hour of walking through the various shops and displays, there was no end in sight.

“This place is awesome!” Dash said. “What do you think, Twi?”

Dash had a large grin on her face, that slowly faded when Twilight didn’t answer. She glanced to her friend and noticed a look of strain on her face. “Twi? You ok?”

“I’m fine. It’s just a bit louder than I expected.”

“Well, yeah. It’s a music festival, Twi. It’s supposed to be loud. I can barely hear myself think!”

“Well, I like hearing myself think.”

“Aw,” Dash said, giving Twilight a playful nudge, “that’s just the egghead part of you talking. Trust me, I’ll find us a place where you can leave that behind and have some real fun.”

“I’m having fun!” Twilight said, a little too quickly. “Who said I’m not having fun?”

“Yeah? What’s been your favorite music so far?”

Twilight glanced around. “I haven’t heard it yet.”

Dash frowned. “Right...” I’m not pushing her too far, am I?

“Are you sure you’re ok, Twi? We can leave if you want to.”

Dash caught sight of a guilty look on Twilight’s face. “N-no. I want to do this. It’s the least I can do for making you go through those galleries in Cheval.”

Dash facedhoofed. Oh... That’s what she’s doing. Paying me back? That’s the last thing I wanted. I just wanted her to have fun.

“If you’re not having fun—”

“—I’m having fun!’ Twilight blurted. She looked stricken, her eyes wide and searching. Dash stared at Twilight as she tried to composed herself. “Really, I am. I just don’t normally listen to music this loud. There have been some really interesting displays, just not at my preferred volume.”

Dash was silent. She looked at Twilight’s hoof that was touching her. As Twilight relaxed, the frantic look on her face drained away into calm. It was a subtle transformation that left Dash’s heart beating faster than it should have been, her skin getting prickly and warm.

Twilight’s head perked up, her ears flicking. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Dash said, her mind too busy to care.

Twilight took her hoof off of Dash and cupped it to her ear. “It sounds like somepony... calling you?”

Dash shook her head to bring herself out of her stupor. “What?” Dash mirrored Twilight and reached out her hearing as far as she could. There was the thrumming of music from all directions, making any kind of pinpointing nearly impossible. In the midst of it all, a distant sound was rising above it. Slowly at first, it rose above the chorus of the crowds until it became distinct.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Dash spun around. From the crowd, an ivory unicorn was sprinting towards them. Her mane was a mess and was streaked two different shades of blue. A necklace of glowsticks swung from her neck in her canter, all nearly faded out. She screeched to a halt just in front of Dash and Twilight, grinning from behind a pair of neon purple glasses. “Yo, Dash!” she said. “I can’t believe it’s you!”

“Vinyl?” Dash said, disbelief drowning her voice. “What are you doing here?”

Vinyl smiled wider. “I’d ask you the same thing! I’m on tour! A couple of musician friends of mine are travelling all over the place. We thought it’d be crazy to miss Antlerdam.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. Me and Twilight are doing something for the princess, and we detoured here for a night.” Dash looked back at Twilight. “Twi, you remember Vinyl Scratch, right? She played at your brother’s wedding.”

Twilight’s face brightened. “Oh! Right! Yes, I remember you.” She stepped up and offered a hoof to Vinyl.

“Oh, hey. Yeah!” Vinyl said, shaking Twilight’s hoof excitedly. “You sang during one of my sets. You got a wicked set of pipes on you, girl!”

Twilight blushed and stepped back. Vinyl turned her attention back to Dash. “If you guys are in town for the night, you have to stop by the club I’m playing. The guys would freak if they met you, Dash.”

“Freak, eh?” Dash turned back to Twilight. “Does that sound alright with you, Twi? We might meet some other ponies from back home.”

Twilight nodded. “Sure, that sounds like fun, as long as you don’t expect me to sing again.”

Vinyl laughed. “Too bad. A voice like that, I would have you in a recording booth making tons of bits in a weekend.”

“I’m fine with my quiet weekends, thank you.”

Vinyl turned and beckoned Dash and Twilight to follow. “Come on, it’s not far.”

They followed in a quick pace, Dash giving Twilight a quick nudge as they departed after Vinyl. “Small world, huh?”

“Yeah.” Twilight’s face lit up briefly. “Ooh, I wonder if she brought Octavia with her. I do like her music.”

Dash couldn’t help but laugh. “She and Vinyl might be good friends, but they aren’t the type to tour together, Twi.”

Twilight let out a disappointed sigh. “Oh well, a mare can hope...”

Chapter Thirteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Thirteen

Good Time

“Hey, are you two coming or what?” Vinyl shouted. She stood at a corner on the end of the street, waving at Twilight and Dash.

“Hold your horses, we’re coming!” Dash said.

Vinyl nodded and disappeared around the corner as they approached. When they changed streets, they froze.

Around the corner, there was a large building sitting at the end of a dead end street. The front of the building was dressed up in bright, neon lights, and floodlights lit up the area. Dozens, if not hundreds of ponies were lined up along the sidewalks, chatting loudly amongst themselves as they waited patiently to get into the building.

“Pretty good turnout,” Vinyl said, beaming. “We’d better get inside before this crowd notices me.”

Vinyl was off again, and Dash and Twilight hurried ahead to keep up with her in the crowd. Keeping up with her proved to be more difficult than Dash expected. Where she and Twilight would bump into at least half a dozen ponies to make a few meters of distance, Vinyl seemed to glide through like nopony was there at all.

They weaved through the crowd, and finally made it to the front of the building. Dash emerged just behind Vinyl, with Twilight just behind her, panting. They stopped just in front of a velvet rope barring the door, with a large black suited stallion standing on the other side.

His attention was focused on his clipboard, and the growing group of complaining patrons. He silently shook his head as they loudly voice their frustrations, when Vinyl reached over the rope and tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned his head, and even behind his dark glasses, it was impossible to not notice his eyes widening. “Oh!” he said. “Miss Scratch, you made it. The others are waiting for you.” He unclipped the rope from its post and stepped aside.

Vinyl nodded and walked in. Dash and Twilight went to follow, when the stallion lifted one of his giant hooves to stop them. He growled, glaring at them.

“Hey, whoa!” Vinyl said, swatting his hoof away. “Easy, dude; these two are with me. Super V.I.P’s and all that.”

The bouncer glanced at Vinyl a moment, then shrugged his shoulder and sighed. Her turned back to Dash and Twilight with a nod. They followed behind Vinyl and went inside.

The volume seemed to double in intensity as Dash stepped into the main room of the club. Bright, colorful stage lights cut through the dimly lit room. A herd of ponies was scattered about the small space, spinning, bobbing, weaving and swinging to a loud, thundering beat.

The dance floor, as best Dash could tell, was a tile surface polished like a mirror, and reflected the many lights bouncing around the room. The ponies themselves were covered in glow sticks and sparkling accessories that brought even more life into the air of the room.

Her hooves felt the thoomp of the bass through the floor and it sent shivers through her body. After only a few seconds of standing in the room, legs were tapping along to the rhythm. She grinned as she took everything in. Now this is more like it.

She turned back to grin at Twilight. Her head tilted sideways instantly as she did. She was weaving a bit, in time with the rhythm. She, too had a smile on her face as she looked around despite her body’s movements.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself already,” Dash said.

Twilight snapped her head towards Dash. “What do you mean?”

Dash chuckled and pointed down at Twilight’s legs. Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked down, and her body suddenly tensed. Even in the dancing colors of the room, Dash caught a faint blush creeping on Twilight’s face.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Twi. You got some moves, nothing to be ashamed of.”

Twilight scuffed the floor. “I just don’t think I’m that great a dancer is all.”

Dash scoffed. “You aren’t thinking about what happened at your birthday, are you?”

Twilight nodded through a tiny wince.

“Oh, forget about it. I thought you were pretty good. You just need better music to dance to, is all.”

“That’s right!” Vinyl said, appearing behind Dash. “And there’s no better place for music than right here! C’mon, Dash. I wanna introduce you to the guys.”

Dash nodded at Vinyl. She turned to Twilight and motioned her to follow, and turned into the crowd behind Vinyl. They skirted the edges of the main group and crossed the room towards the stage.

From the crowd, Dash could see Vinyl’s set up. A group of turntables sat in the center, flanked by two giant speakers on both sides. Across from it on the same platform was a second, similar installation. Two stallions stood beside it, in the middle of a conversation.

Vinyl trotted up to them, shouting over the din of the speakers. “Hey guys.”

The first stallion turned and smiled at her. He lifted a charcoal grey hoof and bumped it against Vinyl’s.”Yo, Scratch. You finally made it.”

“About time, too,” the other stallion said. He frowned from behind a pair of blue glasses that stood out against his spotted black and white fur. He wore no jacket, only a pair of headphones around his neck. “We were about to start without you.”

Vinyl scoffed. “Psh. Like you’d ever start without me. I want you two to meet some friends of mine from Canterlot.”

She waved Dash and Twilight over. The two stallions glanced at them with a smile and waved.

“This here is Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hey, sup?” Dash said.

“Uh, hello,” Twilight said.

The two stallions stared on a moment, before their mouths slowly fell open. They scanned Dash and Twilight, eyes flicking back and forth, before they fell back to Vinyl. “No way. You’re pulling our horseshoes, Scratch.”

Vinyl laughed again and pressed a hoof to her chest. “Hoof to Celestia. This here is the bona-fide fastest pegasus in Equestria and Celestia’s personal study buddy, in the flesh.”

Dash caught the twitch of Twilight’s ear and had to stifle a laugh.

Vinyl gestured at both the stallions. “This here is Trouble Clef and Ash.”

“Trouble Clef?” Dash said.

Trouble Clef brushed his mane aside. “Stage name. Real one’s a secret.”

The spotted stallion laughed. “And lamer.”

“Shuddup, Ash.”

Ash grinned. “So, what brings you two to town?”

“Private princess stuff,” Vinyl said. “Real hush hush.”

Dash waved a hoof. “Yeah, can’t really talk about it, or else we’d have to kill you.”

“What?” Twilight said. “No we would—”

Dash nudged Twilight in the side. “Heh, just go with it, Twi,” she whispered. “It’s all and fun and games. No need to bore them with the details anyways. They’re just a bunch of disk jockeys.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at Dash, but after a moment, she rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah, sorry. Private stuff, we can’t really talk about it.”

Dash smirked at Twilight’s forced tone, and smiled even wider at the two stallion’s reactions. They had vacant looks in their eyes, and seemed to be staring right through the two of them.

“Whoa,” Trouble Clef said. “That’s intense.”

“Totally...” Ash agreed.

Vinyl chuckled. “Okay you guys, enough gushing over the princess’ secret agents; we have a show to start.”

Ash and Clef nodded and went back to the stage and their equipment. Ash went to fiddle with the microphone while Cleft went to the turntable arrangement set opposite Vinyl’s.

“You guys leave quite an impression,” Vinyl said.

“Well, when you exaggerate like that...” Twilight chided.

She grinned. “It’s cool. They know you were playin’. No harm done.”

Vinyl turned to Dash, her grin widening. “Anyway, you two better hit the dance floor. I got a surprise for you.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “A surprise? Like what?”

“Ah, ah. You gotta wait. Hit the floor, enjoy yourself. You’ll see soon enough.”

With that, Vinyl ushered Dash and Twilight away from the stage. Dash kept a close eye on Twilight as they moved into the crowd. The dancers were in full swing with the music, and Dash found herself bobbing her head to the beat again as she made it to the center of the room.

“What do you think Vinyl meant by her surprise?” Twilight asked.

Dash shrugged. “No idea. Vinyl is pretty inventive when it comes to her sets, but something special for me? Beats me. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

Dash’s eyes widened and a smirk quickly followed suit. “She wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t what, Dash?”

At that moment, the music began to fade out. The crowd slowed it’s dancing as the stage lights swung around to highlight Vinyl standing at the mic. “What’s up, Antlerdam!” she shouted. “DJ-P0N3 is in the house!”

The crowd roared in excitement as the lights swiveled around, illuminating the crowd and the stage in a rainbow of colors before falling back on the stage. Two extra spotlights turned on to reveal Trouble Clef and Ash standing at their positions.

“We got Ash with his wicked pipes on the mic, and DJ-Trouble Clef who’s gonna be tryin’ to keep up with yours truly.” She turned her head to smile at her crew briefly and turned back.

“Now, we got something special for you to start, dedicated to a good friend of mine who was awesome enough to join us here in the party capital of Equus. Let’s give it up for Rainbow Dash! The fastest flyer in all of Equestria!”

The colored spotlights above swirled again, spinning all seven colors in a tight winding circle before they centered on Dash. She glanced around at the crowd that was now completely focused on her. There was a wave of gasps and excited whispers, before the room descended into a chanting of her name.

With a shake of her head, she smirked and glanced at Twilight. She was looking around well, looking a bit nervous at all the attention directed towards them.

“Yep,” Dash said. “She is.”

“She’s what?” Twilight asked, eyes twitching.

Vinyl was nodding at the crowd and at her friends onstage. “Now, let’s get this party started!”

She ducked away from the mic, letting Ash take his place. She vaulted over her turntable and spun in the air, landing perfectly in front of her equipment. The lights changed again, focusing on the stage, as the music began to start. It was a lightning fast rhythm of electronic sounds that slowly rose in volume before the beat snapped silent for a split second.

Ash sang into his mic, creating a loud echo as they drummed out of the speakers like thunder.

Yeah, I own this beat!

The room exploded with sound, and the crowd erupted with cheers. In an instant, the room was alive again, the ponies moving with the rumbling speakers.

Dash was laughing as the rest of the chorus continued, and Twilight was staring at her like she had gone crazy. “What’s so funny?” she shouted over the music.

“It’s my song! Vinyl and Ash wrote this song awhile back after I’d met her after a party once. It’s one of their biggest hits.”

Dash went into the song immediately, mimicking the movements of the crowd. She swayed side to side on her hooves, nodding her head to the bass line. Her legs kicked up each time the tempo hit its peak, repeating as necessary.

The lights seemed to dance with her, and Ash’s fast singing was just how Dash liked it: unstoppable. The crowd had worked themselves in a frenzy to the music, thrashing about like wild-ponies. Dash enjoyed every second of it, but then she realized she was dancing alone.

Twilight was still in the crowd, shying away from anypony else that wandered too close. She swayed on her hooves, but looked uncertain, and if Dash knew any better, scared too.

Dash slid over to her in the motions of her dancing, and nudged Twilight’s sides lightly. “C’mon Twi! Dance with me!”

Twilight’s eyes flickered around at the crowd. “I-I’m not so sure...”

“Horseapples! You’re in a dance club, and as one of your best friends, I want you to dance with me!”

Dash gave Twilight no chance to object, grabbing her hooves and swinging them with her own to the rhythm. Twilight let out a small cry, but it was barely audible over the music that was still getting louder.

Dash smirked at Twilight’s wide eyed look of terror as she guided her friend’s motions with her hooves. A step here, a swing here, and Dash could quickly see what Twilight was nervous about. Twilight’s motions were stiff, reserved. Dash shook her head.

“C’mon, Twi. You gotta let loose, or you’re never gonna get anywhere!”

“I’ll look like an idiot!”

“No you won’t! Nopony can look like an idiot next to me. Now show these ponies how to party, Ponyville style!”

Dash tugged at Twilight’s hooves again, forcing the motion through her rigid limbs. She felt resistance, but it was waning with each push. Twilight’s panicked flailing was rough, but it was better than nothing.

“Now you’re getting it!” Dash said, beaming. “You’re doing great!”

Twilight blinked. Her head was still as her body kept going. “Really?”

“Yeah! You’re a natural! You just needed a good push!”

For the first time since the song started, Twilight cracked a smile. Dash let her go, and she continued to move on her own. It was nothing more than a spastic flailing, but that’s all dancing really was sometimes, and Twilight was finally enjoying herself.

Dash went back to her own routine, moving in close to Twilight. They shared the spot on the dance floor, their movements slowly syncing to something resembling a coherent dance. The music just kept getting louder, and the crowd kept screaming for more.

Ash’s singing faded and the music continued without him for a moment. Dash glanced towards the stage, and saw him saying something to Vinyl. Not missing a beat, Vinyl said something and nodded, prompting Ash to return to the mic. The music was reaching its peak, and just as it did, there was a brief moment of silence, before the music screamed back and Ash returned to his singing.

Twilight Sparkle, up in the party!

The lights above shifted again, this time all of them glowing a bright purple. They swung back to the center of the room, and this time, instead of centering on Dash, they were now focused on Twilight.

She froze. Only her eyes were moving as the entire crowd was now focused on her instead of Dash. For a moment, Dash watched as everypony in the room was staring at her friend and chanting her name.

“Dash!” she said. “What do I do?”

Dash smirked. “Just keep going! Show them what you’re made of!”

As she said that, she brushed up against Twilight and nudged her. She only stopped dancing for a moment, continuing beside her paralyzed friend. The music went on, and the crowd kept chanting. Dash joined in too, calling her friend’s name over and over in order to get through to her.

It was a slow transformation at first, but Twilight’s motions became less jerky and more fluid. She fell into a routine of ducks and bobs, weaves and bumps like she was in her trance. Dash worked what she could beside her, but as Twilight continued, she noticed that she was just fine on her own. It was as if the music was flowing through her, and every movement was in perfect rhythm with the song.

The crowd thought the same. They cheered Twilight on as the chorus started to repeat, and the lights were starting to change again. The music was tapering off and already starting to meld into a different song, but Twilight didn’t stop.

Dash fell into step beside her friend and slowed down. “I think you won them over, Twi.”

Twilight’s eyes sprang open and she stumbled. Dash snapped a hoof out to catch her, and stopped Twilight from flattening her snout against the floor. Unfortunately for her, Twilight instead ended up swiveling upwards as Dash held her upright, just inches from Dash’s face. She was staring up at her, eyes blinking.

Dash felt the scorching heat assault her face again. She hauled Twilight up onto her own hooves, rubbing at her face to quell the fire in her cheeks.

“Whew!” Twilight wheezed. “That was so exhilarating! I can hardly breathe!”

Dash forced a chuckle. “Y-yeah! Me too! Let’s get something to drink to cool down.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Lead the way.”

*****

Dash found a circular arrangement of tables and benches that acted as the club’s watering hole on the far side of the dance floor. Polished chrome stools lined the bar, which complimented the large display of bottles on the shelves behind it. Dozens of different glass vessels sat on a backlit counter which made their contents shimmer in the relative darkness of the club.

The music had changed a few more times as Dash and Twilight navigated their way through the crowd. Dash was still reeling from the effects of her close call. I can’t believe I did that! We almost smacked our faces together. Dash glanced at Twilght. She was still panting, her face flush and weary. I guess I should be thankful she’s this oblivious. This is not the place I want to admit it to her.

Dash led Twilight to one of the stools and helped her sit down. She wobbled slightly and plopped down with little dignity. “Oof!” she said. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Heh, you’re pretty good once you get going, Twi.”

“You really think so?”

Dash nodded. “I know so. Practice makes perfect. It’s been awhile since I’ve let loose like that, It’s nice to see you do the same.”

Twilight was quiet a moment, then smiled. “You know... you’re right.” Twilight placed a hoof on Dash’s foreleg. “Thank you, Dash, for pushing me to try something new. I really enjoyed myself.”

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared at Twilight’s hoof, when she heard a chuckle beside them. She turned to see a grey mare sitting at the bar not far from them, balancing a martini glass in her hooves. She brushed her black mane aside and grinned. “You certainly did. I must say, I never imagined Twilight Sparkle to be such a dancer,” she said.

Dash blinked. “Octavia?”

Octavia nodded and took a sip from her glass.

“What in Equestria are you doing in Antlerdam? And in a club of all places?”

She giggled. “I know it’s hardly the place to expect to see me.” She glanced back to the stage and smiled. “The things we do for love, I suppose.”

Dash felt her neck protest in pain as her head twisted sideways. “Huh?”

Octavia shook her head. “Oh, I guess Vinyl didn’t tell you. We’re currently seeing each other.”

“Really?” Twilight said, her eyes widening. “Congratulations!”

Octavia shook her hoof. “It is nothing worth a fuss.”

Twilight frowned. “Really?”

Octavia nodded. “Vinyl insisted we keep it quiet for our little trip. We were going to be more open about it once we returned home. The admission now would just add too much stress to our performances.”

“Oh!” Twilight grinned. “You are performing then? I’d love to hear you play.”

Octavia sighed. “I’m afraid you won’t be hearing me play here. The festival has already booked their classical segments before we arrived.”

Twilight’s ears wilted. “Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Yes, it is a bit of a bother. But I enjoy watching Vinyl play in the meantime. I never get much rest back in the Symphony back in Canterlot.”

“Where are you going next?” Dash asked.

Octavia brought a hoof to her chin. “Hmm. I think I have something scheduled in Roam a few days from now. Or was it Istandbull?” She shook her head. “It’s been so long since I’ve traveled abroad, I've forgotten most of the places I've seen before.”

“Istandbull?” Twilight said. “I wasn’t aware the minotaurs enjoyed music that much.”

Octavia grinned. “I heard that the minotaur Chieftain has a soft spot for the classics.”

“Wait, Minotaurs?” Dash said. “There’s actually a place filled with minotaurs?”

“I wouldn't say filled. But yes, Istandbull is their homeland. They have an interesting culture.”

Dash turned to Twilight. “Are we going there after Germane?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not this time. According to Princess Celestia, the minotaur Chieftain prefers to send his own people to keep the royal catalogs up to date.”

“What, he doesn’t trust us?”

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe. Celestia wasn’t very clear on it, so I didn’t press.”

“A shame, really,” Octavia said. “It is a very interesting country. I am looking forward to seeing it again. Hopefully Vinyl can behave herself.”

Octavia finished her drink and laid it on the counter. A blue unicorn with a pink mane appeared from the other side of the counter, snatching the glass in her magic. “Would you like another, Miss Octavia?”

“Yes, please. And a round for my two friends here, on Vinyl’s tab, of course.”

Twilight lifted a hoof. “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Octavia. We can pay for our own drinks.”

Octavia shook her head. “I insist. It would be rude of me not to treat guests and friends of Vinyl and myself.”

Dash frowned and exchanged a glance with Twilight. “Well, if you insist,” Twilight said. “But i’d like to use the little fillies room first.”

Octavia nodded and pointed to the side of the bar. Twilight trotted off around the counter and disappeared around the corner. Octavia gestured to the seats next to her. “Please sit, Miss Dash. You must be exhausted from that dancing.”

Dash scoffed, but said down anyways. “I never get tired. I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt one day, I don’t have time to get tired.”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “You sound just like Vinyl when she plans her sets. I’ve never seen a mare go through so much coffee before.”

“Yeah… You and Vinyl.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Is something the matter, Miss Dash?”

Dash sat up. “What? No! Of course not! What makes you think that?”

“You seem concerned about something.”

“Well…” Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “How is it that you two got together, anyways? I just don’t get it. You guys both like music, I get that, but you are so different from each other.”

Octavia sighed with a smile. “Some would say its that opposition that attracts us to each other. Certainly our tastes are hardly the same, but our passions are. I have never seen anypony who put so much of herself in music like Vinyl does, and I feel like she thinks the same of me.”

Octavia turned back to the stage again. “Vinyl’s life is fast, loud and full of energy, mine is quiet, contemplative and reserved, and yet…” She placed a hoof on her chest. “Our hearts are in perfect sync. Love has a way of doing that between to ponies.”

Dash swallowed. “Y-yeah… I guess it does…” She glanced at Vinyl. “So how did you ask her out?”

Octavia blinked. “What makes you think I asked her?”

“You don’t mean…”

“She asked me. You should have seen her in the days before she admitted it. She was a mess; she never slept right, showing up late for concerts… it was so unlike her. So I barred her from leaving her home until she told me what was happening.” She giggled and fluttered her eyes. “The funny thing is… I knew the whole time. I just wanted to see how long it would take her to admit it.”

“Wait… you knew and still tortured her like that? How could you toy with somepony’s heart like that?”

Octavia shook her head. “But it was the most important part of it all.”

Dash frowned. “How?”

“If she was too afraid to admit it to me, how could I be certain that it work? When love is concerned, you cannot play with half truths and half admissions. The heart of one must be bared as a whole to the other, or they will never fit together. When she finally said it, I knew it would last.” Octavia cleared her throat and turned away, wiping a hoof across her eye.

Dash stared at her with her mouth hanging open. Octavia took one look at her and giggled. “But enough about my love life. Vinyl wouldn't think it would be proper. Let’s get those drinks!”

At that moment, the bartender returned with three martini glasses floating in her magic. She laid them on the bar in front of Dash and Octavia. Dash glanced at the green drink. “What is it?”

“I've been drinking appletini’s. They are absolutely marvelous here.”

“Oh, it’s like a cider then?”

“It's... definitely made from apples, if that's what you mean. It has cider in it.”

“Ooh!” Twilight said as she returned from around the bar. “A cider? I wonder if it’s anything like Applejack makes?”

Dash shrugged. “I doubt it. But it can’t hurt to find out.”

Twilight lifted her glass in the air, smiling at Dash. “How about a toast? To the most fun I’ve ever had dancing ever.”

Dash smirked. “I can toast to that.”

“To a wonderfully unexpected night of fun,” Octavia said. They clinked their glasses together and drank.

Dash was surprised as the fizzy liquid hit her tongue. The shock of flavor sent a shock through her spine, and the warm burning sensation of alcohol washed over her. She was no stranger to a good hard cider, having hung around Applejack long enough to have access to her private stash.

This drink was everything she expected from a fancy club. While she felt it held no candle to what her friend could make on a good harvest, it was a fond reminder of home, and she enjoyed each drop as she tilted the glass back and consumed it all in a single go.

She slammed the glass down with a refreshing ‘ahh,’ and went about smacking her lips to savor what flavor remained. A goofy grin had taken over her face, and she tapped the bar loudly with a hoof for another. After the brief moment of enjoyment, she turned her attention to see how Twilight had enjoyed herself.

The reaction was certainly not what she expected. Twilight’s glass was certainly empty, but the way her tongue hung out and how she scraped at it with her hooves was strange. She wheezed deep, raspy breaths and her eyes were watering to the point of spilling tears. Her face blazed a deep red, and her expression looked pained.

Alarmed, Dash sat up and grabbed Twilight with both hooves. “Twi! Are you alright?”

Twilight’s eyes wobbled a moment before they focused on her. They gave a slight twitch, and her mouth hung open. “What...was...that?”

Dash tilted her head. “Huh?”

“What in Celestia’s name did you make me drink? My mouth is on fire!”

Dash was dumbfounded. She expected a lot of things of Twilight: to be oblivious to her weak advances, or even the advances of others. To not have much stock in random events, or anything Pinkie did in an average day. To not have much of a tolerance for the nightlife scene. But the one thing she did not expect was this.

“Twi, have you never drank before?”

Twilight sputtered and wiped her mouth. “What? Of course I have. I have to drink something in my life, or else you die! Everything has to drink once in awhile.”

Octavia laughed. Dash blinked. “No, Twi. I meant have you ever drank alcohol before?”

“Alcohol...” Twilight muttered. She glanced at her glass, then at Dash’s. She did this a few times, before her eyes widened. “Alcohol? You gave me alcohol?!”

“I’ll take that as a no...”

Twilight glared at Dash. “How can you be flippant about this? I just drank a mental deterrent!” Twilight stood up and started pacing in tight circles, her eyes racing. “I’m going to end up in a dark alley with my I.Q leaking out of my ears!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Dash snapped. She hopped off her stool and cut in front of Twilight and her manic pacing. “First off, I have no idea who put that idea in your head, but that’s not going to happen. Now sit down before you wear a hole in the floor.”

Twilight complied, although she chose to fall to her rump then return to her chair. Dash facehoofed. “A drink now and then isn’t bad for you, Twi. Even a sophisticated mare like Octavia drinks now and then. As long as you don’t have too much. But... I should have been smart enough to ask whether or not you actually drank. And for that, I’m sorry.”

“Yes, Miss Twilight,” Octavia said. “It’s all about moderation. Even a sophisticated mare such as myself can have a little fun at times.”

Twilight’s eyes wobbled a moment, tracing the spot on the floor between Dash’s hooves, before she brought her head up to stare her in the face.

“I’m worrying too much again, aren’t I?”

Dash winked. “Little bit.”

Twilight exhaled. “You’re right, that you should have warned me. But I guess I should have realized something.”

“Eh.” Dash shrugged. “I didn’t figure you knew much about clubs, like how they usually serve alcohol, not tap water.”

“Aheh, yeah... not exactly in my reading material.”

Dash returned to her stool and urged Twilight back to her’s. She grunted as she climbed up, muttering under her breath. By the time she made it to the top, the bartender had returned with fresh drinks. Dash took her’s with a smile, but then carefully followed the second glass as it made its way over to Twilight.

She was staring at it, not making a sound. It was almost as if she was watching each individual bubble free itself from the bottom of the glass and breaking free on the surface.

“Are you sure you want another, Twi?” Dash said. “You can just have the one for the experience and leave it at that.”

Twilight didn’t respond at first, but eventually stammered out “N-no. I’ll have one more. Ponies do this to have fun, right? And we’re here to have fun. A second one couldn’t possibly hurt too much, right?”

Author's Note

The Song referenced in this chapter is 20 Percent Cooler, by Ken Ashcorp. All lyrics and rights belong to Ken Ashcorp, and no plagiarism or copyright infringement is intended. Go check his other music out, it;s pretty awesome.

Chapter Fourteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Fourteen

Kamikaze

As an athlete, Rainbow Dash was built for many things. Years of training had conditioned her in ways most pegasi would have broken themselves trying to achieve. Her speed was unmatched, her agility was probably the talk of cities far and wide across Equestria and beyond. Even her strength was well above the average pegasus of her level.

So, of course her ability to handle a few simple drinks was laudable. After a few appletinis with Octavia, Dash had moved on to stronger substances. The bar had a large and varied selection and she took the opportunity to sample some of the fare that wasn’t offered back in Equestria. Octavia eventually left her to her devices to meet back up with Vinyl, and she enjoyed the endless tab as much as she could.

After a short bout with what the bartender had to serve, she slammed down her third round with a refreshing ‘ahh’ and wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof, smiling.

“That hits the spot, doesn’t it Twi?” she said.

Dash turned to her friend, frowning at what she saw. Twilight had both her front hooves resting on the bar. They were shaking slightly as they balanced on the metal edge. In front her were three empty martini glasses, one overturned in a small puddle of spilled drink.

Twilight turned her head suddenly towards her. She was smiling widely, her eyes bright and shimmering in the lights of the club. Her cheeks were burning red, and her upper body swayed and rocked as she tried to remain upright on her stool.

“This stuff is g-great!” she slurred. “I nee—whoa—need to do this more often!”

Dash’s frown deepened. “Uh, Twi? Are you alright?”

“Yep!” Twilight said immediately. “I feel... amazing!”

Dash shook her head. “No, Twi. I’ve only had a few rounds and I can still see straight. You’ve only had three measly appletinis and you look like you’re about to fall off your seat.”

Twilight giggled, followed by another loud hiccup. “Na-nah; you’re worryin’ too much. I ‘ave per~fect balance. Watch!” Twilight lifted her hooves from the bar and held them out. She did the same with her legs, and Dash watched as she balanced herself on the small seat.

“Yes, you’re very good at that. Now why don’t you sit down like a normal pony before you—"

Twilight suddenly tilted sideways. Dash reacted as fast as she could, but it seemed that her own drinking had dulled her reflexes at least a little bit. Her hoof missed Twilight by a hair, and time slowed to a crawl. Twilight’s mane scattered in the air for the brief moment she was held only to the powers of gravity, before she landed square on her back. Her legs went upright and rigid as Dash hurried to help her friend.

“Twi! Are you alright?!”

“Dash...” Twilight wheezed.

“I’m here, Twi.” Dash took one of Twilight’s outstretched hooves in her own.

Twilight turned her head to Dash, staring. “I think I melted...”

Dash stared in dumbfounded shock for a brief second before she rolled her eyes. “Geez. You’re such a lightweight, Twi!”

“No, no, I’m not,” Twilight insisted. “I am well within the healthy body-weight range for my height and age group.”

Dash snickered. “Sure you are, Twi. I think I should get you to bed. You’ve had enough for tonight.” Dash gripped Twilight’s hooves tighter and tugged her up.

Twilight resisted at first, pulling back against Rainbow’s efforts. “Aww,” she pouted. “But I was starting to have—hic!—fun.”

“You did, Twi. You did a great job having fun. But any more fun, and you’ll be praying to Celestia for death in the morning.”

Twilight snorted, and let up resisting long enough for Rainbow to get her to her hooves. “That’s silly, Dash. Why would I ever do that?”

“Let’s just say I’ve got some experience in this.”

“You’ve prayed to Celestia before?”

Dash facehoofed. This is gonna be a long night.

*****

Getting an inebriated Twilight out of a dance club was harder than Dash thought. Getting her away from the crowds of music lovers was a greater challenge still. A quick flight would have solved their problems in seconds, but Dash was nothing if not a responsible flyer. A lifetime of Wonderbolts after-show parties was enough for her to know the dangers of flying while intoxicated. The last thing she needed was a F.U.I to tarnish her chances of ever joining the team of her dreams.

And so, being the responsible friend, Dash focused on getting her friend back to their hotel safely... the hard way.

It was a lengthy walk before they were far enough away from the festival before the music began to fade on the wind. They had made it back to the road along the canal, which was almost deserted. Dash noted a few uniformed ponies strolling down the road, lighting up the street with the glow of their horns. It seemed pointless, however, as the sky was clear, and the moon above bathed the quiet street in a silvery glow.

“Oh… It’s so pretty...”

“Yeah,” Dash said. “It’s something alright.”

“You were right, Dash. The music festival was a... a wonderful idea.”

“You think so?”

Twilight nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever danced like that be—ooh—before. Everypony was cheering my name, thanks to you...” Twilight shied away and scuffed the ground with her hooves.

Dash gulped. “Uh... well... it wasn’t all me, y’know. You did all the work, I just... uh... motivated you is all.”

“Well. You’re a wonderful motivator.” Twilight lifted her head and met Dash’s gaze again. She stared with half lidded eyes, and a smirk on her face.

Dash’s eyes widened as Twilight took a shaky step towards her. Her breathing quickened, and she found herself swallowing a second, larger lump as her friend got closer.

“Hey, Dash?” Twilight said softly. Her breath danced through the air and ruffled the fur on Dash’s neck.

“Y-yeah?” Dash stammered.

Dash was so focused on Twilight’s eyes, that she didn’t notice Twilight raise a hoof into the air. She brought it up quickly and quietly and in a blink, bonked Dash softly on the nose.

“You’re it!” Twilight shouted playfully. She spun on her hooves and darted down to the road, giggling all the way.

Dash stood still. Her eye twitched for a moment, as the gears in her alcohol-affected mind attempted to process what was happening. She shook her head free of her daze, saw Twilight getting further away, and finally understood.

“Oh, you are so on!”

Dash righted her hooves on the cobblestone street and launched into a sprint. Flying while intoxicated was one of her greater worries, but a quick jog in the cool Antlerdam air after her friend was perfectly okay. After all, who was she to turn down a challenge?

Twilight had made a good head start, but as Dash caught up, she noticed that Twilight’s balance was hardly perfect. Each other step was accompanied by a stumble or an awkward skip that slowed her down each time, and after a few missteps, Dash found herself neck and neck with Twilight.

“C’mon, Twi! You can do better than that!”

“I... I’m doing muh... my best!” Twilight wheezed.

“’Fraid that’s not gonna cut it.” Dash grinned as she edged over and gently nudged Twilight. “You’re it!”

Dash tore away from Twilight and doubled her efforts to gallop down the road. She let out a victorious squeal. Her laughter was cut short when a bright flash of purple illuminated the nearby area for an instant. She quickly turned back and saw that Twilight was gone.

When she turned back, she screamed “whoa!” and dug her hooves into the ground. She skipped off the rocky street as she tried to slow herself down. Pain lanced through her hooftips with each bump, but she managed to bring herself to a stop with some quick wingwork.

Unfortunately, her sudden stop put her put her snout to snout with Twilight, who was now standing in front of her. She swayed on her hooves with a goofy grin on her face as she tried to balance with a hoof raised in the air. The limb bobbed around, before she poked it at Dash’s forehead.

“Got you...” she said. Her voice was drained of its previous energy, and now sounded groggy and lifeless.

Dash frowned. “I don’t think using magic in your condition is a good idea, Twi.”

Twilight giggled. “You’re just saying that because you lost.”

“Hey, I know the dangers of flying after a few drinks. I doubt magic is much different.”

Twilight puffed out her cheeks, her brows arching in a frown. “Okay... Mom,” Twilight said.

Dash chuckled. “How’s about we just enjoy a nice, quiet walk back to our hotel? You look exhausted, and anymore running and you’ll fall asleep in the street.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but instead was overtaken by a loud yawn. She smacked her lips when she finished, and nodded her head slowly. “I guess you’re right. Beating you was pretty exhausting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash said blithely. “Beating somepony like me would tire anypony out.”

Twilight snickered quietly as Dash guided her to face the correct direction, and they set off again. She enjoyed the stillness in the air, punctuated by the clatter of their hooffalls. Dash especially enjoyed the moments where Twilight’s drunken swaying led her to wobble into her sides.

The brief bits of contact brought heat to Dash’s face, but this time, she didn’t fight it. With Twilight at her side, in the moonlit night of Antlerdam, she didn’t care if her affection showed. Twilight was far too busy keep her her balance, and Dash predicted that if three drinks was enough to affect Twilight like this, her memory would most certainly have a few holes in it the next morning.

A breeze blew over the street. Dash breathed in the mountain air, her mind calming. She felt refreshed in its presence. Twilight, on the other hoof, had other opinions.

Glancing over, Dash saw that Twilight’s fur was bristling in the wind. Her ears were twitching and Dash heard a familiar clattering noise from Twilight’s mouth.

Dash smirked. “You just don’t like the cold, do you Twi?”

“I’m f-fine…” Twilight huffed.

“Good thing I got the cure for that.” Dash extended her wing and draped it over Twilight’s back, pulling her closer. “I’m starting to wonder if you’re taking advantage of my feathers, Twi.”

Twilight’s rose tinted cheeks burned brighter. “It’s not like that! Canterlot was really warm throughout the year, so I never got used to really cold weather.”

Dash chuckled. “It’s alright, Twi. It’s no biggie.”

Dash took another breath of the cool breeze. This is really nice. Dash glanced at Twilight under her wing. Should I go for it now? The moment seems right.

Dash’s thoughts were broken by another one of Twilight’s hiccups. She sighed. Maybe not. It wouldn’t be right to ask her when she’s like this. I should just enjoy the moment. It’s probably as close as I’ll be able to get to her without either of us freaking out.

Another wind drifted over the road, and Twilight drew closer into Dash’s wing. As she did, she let out a yelp and stumbled. Her legs shot out in front of Dash’s and tangled together. Dash’s eyes went wide as she ran into one of Twilight’s flailing limbs and lurched sideways.

Her wing’s flared up in instinct as she fell away from Twilight in a tumble. Her sides clipped the raised lip of the wall beside her as she rolled overtop of it and over the edge. Her brain processed what was happening, but her attempts to react were dulled. Before she knew it, she was falling down from the wall and crashing into the river below.

Ice cold water stung every inch of her body as she attempted to right herself in the water. She quickly broke the surface and breathed deeply. Her head was spinning, and her sides ached as she tried to get her bearings. The canal water was calm, besides the ripples her landing had caused. The small waves rapped against the carved stone walls as she bobbed in the water.

A giggling sound from above prompted her to look up. Twilight’s head was poking over the edge of the wall. Her front legs hung on the edge, propping up her head as she gazed down with an amused, drunken expression. “Told youuuu…”

*****

Walking into the hotel lobby soaking wet with a giggling Twilight was not how Dash pictured ending her night. It was hard enough to move her alcohol addled friend through the doors, and it was an added torture to try and do so while dripping with water in the frigid Antlerdam air. Having a resistance to cold was one thing, being wet in the middle of the night was another.

Dash dragged Twilight past the front desk. Bucky was still there and looked up at her approach, raising an eyebrow. “Strange, we don’t usually get rain this time of year.”

“Oh, it isn’t that,” Twilight said. “Dashie here just had an unfortunate meeting with gravity.”

Dash grumbled as Bucky turned his attention to her, eyeing her up and down. After a moment, his eyes widened. “You didn’t fall into the river, did you?”

Dash looked away, and Twilight giggled again. Bucky, too, decided to let out a little chuckle. “I take it you both had a good night?”

“I guess so…” Dash said. “Coulda done without the midnight dip, but at least that will save me a shower in the morning.”

“Did you find the music festival alright?

“Yeah. Took a bit, but we found it. It was pretty cool. We even ran into a friend of ours from back home.”

Bucky grinned. “Yeah, that’ll happen.” Bucky glanced at Twilight. “What’s up with her?”

Dash turned to Twilight as well. She hadn’t stopped smiling since she climbed out of the river, and her swaying hadn’t lessened since they left the club. Dash rolled her eyes at her and turned back. “She just had three drinks too many.”

“How many did she have?”

“Three.”

Bucky frowned. “Huh. I thought ponies were tougher than that.”

“I’m plenty tough!” Twilight complained.

Dash chuckled. “Sure you are, Twi. As tough as a bookworm.”

Twilight descended into quiet mumbles and Dash glanced towards the stairs into the hotel. “Which floor was our room on? I can’t remember.”

“Third floor,” Bucky said. “Room three-ten.”

“Thanks. C’mon, Twi. The sooner you get to bed, the better.”

Twilight grunted a response and followed her. At the stairs, Dash let Twilight go first, first out of courtesy, and second, in Twilight’s current state and what had happened so far, it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

Thankfully the climb to the top went along with little incident. Exhausted, tired, wet, Dash was finally glad that the day was coming to an end. When they arrived at the door, found herself staring at it. She turned to Twilight. “You have the, keys, right?”

Twilight’s head swayed a moment before her face showed any sign of awareness. She shook her head and nodded. She turned to her bags and probed it with her magic, eventually finding a polished bronze key. She inserted the key with a flourish and opened the door. Her magic popped loudly as it fizzled out, and Twilight shouted, “Ta da!”

“Yeah, Twi. That’s really great. But you should keep it down. Other’s are probably sleeping.”

Twilight stuck out her tongue at her and trotted inside. Dash heaved a weary sigh. Now at the door, her hooves felt lined with lead horseshoes as she tried to lift her legs. Each step was a struggle as she crossed the threshold into the room and ensured that it was closed and locked behind her.

When she turned around, Twilight was already sprawled out on the bed, snoring loudly. Dash smirked as she walked past the bed, watching Twilight quietly.

She found the bathroom on the right and reached inside to snag a towel. She draped it over her head and scrubbed as much as the water from her mane and coat as she could. Finishing that, she tossed the towel onto a rack, and turned to her bed.

Except that it wasn’t there.

Dash glanced around the room. It was up until now that she hadn’t noticed how large the room actually was. The living space wasn’t cramped by any stretch, but there was only room for one queen sized bed. The only bed. Twilight’s bed.

Dash’s mind raced. Why didn’t Twilight say we only had one bed? Dash swallowed a lump. Just breathe, Dash. It’s just a bed. It doesn’t mean anything. Twilight probably doesn’t care one way or the other, or she would’ve gotten a room with two.

Dash edged towards her side of the bed, tugging at the covers. She crawled in, taking care to face the opposite wall. Yeah, I can do this. Just face this wall and pretend she’s not there. It doesn’t have to get weird.

Twilight mumbled something in her sleep and returned to snoring. Dash sighed and turned her head. Twilight had rolled onto her back, and her nose twitched violently with each snore. Her mane was already a tangled mess, and a tendril of drool danced at the edge of her mouth.

Even when she looks like that, I can’t stop looking at her. Agh! Why does this have to be so hard !? Dash lashed at her own head, striking with dull blows in frustration. Why can’t I just say it to her?!

Dash’s internal tirade halted when Twilight started cooing in her sleep. She rolled again, this time towards Dash. Her hooves flopped out across the bed, bridging the gap between them. Dash stared at them, her mind dull.

She reached out and grabbed a hoof in her own. She waited to see if Twilight would stir, but she didn’t. Dash propped herself up with a leg, leaning towards her sleeping friend. Her hoof in her grasp, and Twilight sleeping peacefully beside her, Dash had only one thought on her mind.

I might not be ready to admit it to you right now. But I can at least admit it to myself.

Dash sat up and moved slowly. She crawled across the bed in steady movements, until she was hovering over the sleeping Twilight. With a gentle brush of her hoof, she parted Twilight’s scattered mane, smiling. She leaned down, slowly and carefully, and placed a kiss gently on Twilight’s forehead.

Twilight’s head twisted upwards and she murmured something unintelligible. Dash sighed and returned to her side of the bed. She clutched she sheets as hard as she could in her hooves. I love you Twilight. One of these days I’ll be able to admit it to your face, but for now, this will have to do...

Chapter Fifteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Fifteen

Tip of the Iceberg

Dash awoke to a bright light. She slowly opened her eyes and was treated to the sun peeking through the window. A breeze wafted through it and her nose twitched as she breathed the fresh air. Ugh, morning already?

She yawned and smacked her lips as she wriggled under the sheets to keep warm. The rays of sunlight on her face tickled with heat, but it paled in comparison to the heat pressed against her back. She blinked her eyes sleepily and turned her head.

Her eyes widened as she saw Twilight snuggled up against her. Her hoof was draped over Dash’s side and held in her own hoof. She began to tug it away when she noticed that she wasn’t the only one holding tightly. Dash’s face blazed red and she gulped loudly.

Okay. Easy, Dash. Not too fast, wouldn’t want to wake—

She tugged again and tried to slide out of Twilight’s grasp when Twilight started mumbling. Dash’s heart began to race as she started moving in jerking motions to break free of Twilight’s hold before—

“Good morning, Dash.”

Dash felt her eye twitching as she watched Twilight yawn loudly and flutter her eyes open.

Twilight smiled softly. “Did you sleep well?”

“Uh…” Dash said. “Y-yeah, I guess so.” She swallowed again. “Uh… Twi?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you hugging me?”

Twilight’s smile widened. “I thought this was what you wanted?”

Dash’s mind spun in circles. “I… I….”

Twilight frowned. “Or was I misreading things? I can move back to my side of the bed if you want.”

“No!” Dash shouted. “S-stay… please.”

Twilight nodded and shifted closer to Dash. “If you say so,” she said coyly.

Twilight’s grip around Dash tightened, and she sighed slowly as it did.

“Is there something wrong, Dash?”

Dash turned back to Twilight. “You have no idea how much I‘ve been struggling with this. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, Twi, and how much I still want to.”

“Well, tell me now, then.”

She sighed again. “It won’t make a difference.”

Twilight tilted her head. “Why?”

Dash turned away. “Because this isn’t real.”

“What do you mean? Of course it’s real. It feels real, doesn’t it?”

Dash shrugged away from Twilight and rolled over. “It sure does. My dreams have been pretty good at doing that lately.”

Twilight shook her head. “What makes you think this is a dream? Why are you being so hard on yourself instead of enjoying it?”

“Because my head doesn’t hurt. I know how much I drank last night, and I don’t even feel sore. And not to mention how hungover you should be.”

Twilight laughed. “Maybe I’m better at recovering than I look.”

Dash frowned. “Not a chance, Twi, but that’s not the only thing wrong.”

“Oh?”

“It’s too easy. I haven’t been very good at this so far, but you haven’t noticed a single thing. There’s no way you could just spontaneously notice.”

“Maybe I was waiting for the right moment just like you.”

“I wish that were true. But it isn’t, because we didn’t fall asleep in my room either.”

She stretched out her hoof and indicated the room. Deep blue swirls of blue and white painted the ceiling and walls, lined with pristinely cut cloud columns. Dash’s bedside cabinets sat beside the bed, one stacked with Daring Do books, and the other had a framed picture of herself and her friends.

Twilight sighed. “I guess you got me, Dash.”

Dash sighed too and reached a hoof to Twilight’s cheek. “You have no idea how much I want to say it to you, Twi, to have you lying in this bed with me for real…”

“So why don’t you?”

“I’m scared, ok!?” she snapped. She rolled away from Twilight and stared at the wall. “I don’t want to weird you out, or scare you away.” She shuddered. “I couldn’t handle you leaving me.”

“And why do you assume that’s what will happen?”

“Because I don’t deserve you, so it’s the only outcome.”

Dash felt Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “You think too little of yourself, Rainbow Dash. You aren’t going to know until you ask. And the Rainbow Dash I know wouldn’t be afraid of anything.”

Dash slumped her head against the pillow. “I just don’t know what to do…”

“You’ve been given some pretty good advice so far. I’m sure you can think of something.”

Dash turned back. She stared into Twilight’s eyes for a long, silent while, then she reached out and pulled Twilight and herself together. Twilight let out a startled noise as Dash wrapped her hooves tightly around her.

“Just let me enjoy this for as long as I can, before the dream ends. I just need to know what this feels like, even if it isn’t real.”

Twilight patted Dash on the back. “Of course, Dash. Take as long as you want. I can be patient.”

Dash squeezed as hard as she could. She let out a long, pained sigh when she felt Twilight squish easier than she should have. Her eyes opened and revealed that her hooves were wrapped tightly around her pillow. She was back in her hotel room, alone in the bed.

She scanned the room. The sheets next to her were scattered on the bed and over the floor of the other side of the room. Her eyes fell on the bathroom door, when she heard a splashing noise from beyond it. She rubbed her pounding head as the splashing noise continued. She struggled to rise from the bed and went over to the door and placed her ear to it.

There was silence on the other side. She lifted a hoof and knocked. There was a muffled response on the other side, followed by a sudden retching sound. Painful groans echoed from the bathroom, punctuated by quiet whimpering.

“Twi? Are you ok?”

There was no word for the mess of language and mumbles that drifted through the door. Dash rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock. “’cause I hate to break up your first hangover, but our train leaves in an hour.”

*****

Reading on a train had become a regular pastime for Dash nowadays. If she had to be stuck in a small compartment for several hours, unable to fly or stretch her wings in any useful way, the least she could do is pull from her mountain of books and occupy herself for a few hours.

That is, she would be if not for the constant complaints from the pony sitting across from her that arose with every single bump of the train. A subdued groan of pain drifted to Dash’s ear, and once again she found herself glancing over to examine her wallowing friend.

Twilight was curled up in her seat, an open book draped over her head. Her tail was wrapped around her body tightly, and her legs were drawn up around herself just as much. Her forelegs in particular were pressed against her ears. Her body quivered with each rock of the train, followed by another moan of pain.

“Oww,” she mumbled. “Make it stop…”

Dash smirked. “Make what stop, Twi?”

“The light… Make the light stop. It makes everything hurt.”

“‘fraid I can’t do that, Twi. I’m pretty sure Celestia would be pretty upset if I stopped the light.”

“Don’t care… I said so.”

“Oh, okay. If you said so.”

Twilight recoiled again. “Not so loud.”

Dash chuckled and sat up, closing her book. “Well, Twi. You did want to have fun last night. I warned you what would happen, but you insisted. Not much else you can do but tough it out.”

Twilight grumbled under her book-hat. “Hate you… Why didn’t you warn me this would happen?”

“I didn’t know only three drinks would wipe you out like that. I had almost three times as much and I feel fine.”

“Not fair… There must be something you can do to make this stop…”

Dash scratched her chin. “Well… Let me think.”

Dash’s eyes fell on a small rope dangling by the door. It had a tasseled end and swung listlessly in the motions of the train. A thought crossed her mind, and she reached for it and tugged it down. A small bell sound rang out, and there was nothing for a while, aside from further groaning from Twilight.

Almost a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door. The rapping noise caused Twilight to groan again. Dash rolled her eyes, and said “Come in.”

The door slid open, revealing a stewardess. She poked her head in with a smile. “Bonjour,” she said.

“Uh, hey,” Dash said. “Do you speak Equestrian?”

The stewardess nodded. “Of course, madam. What can I help you with?”

Dash gestured at Twilight. “Well, my friend had a little too much to drink last night, and is paying for it now. I was wondering if you served hot food on this train.”

The stewardess glanced at Twilight. She squinted a moment at her, and her eyes widened. “Ah, I see.” She turned back to Dash. “Yes, we do have a small kitchen on the train. Is there something you have in mind?”

“Whatever you have that is the greasiest thing you can make. The greasier, the better. And some water too.”

“Ehm, I believe we have simple hayfries, but I’m sure our cooks can come up with something.”

Dash nodded. “Thanks.”

The stewardess bowed her head and left, shutting the door beside her slowly.

Twilight peeked her head from underneath the book-hat. “Greasy food? How is that supposed to help?”

Dash shrugged. “I don’t know the science behind it. All I know is a good way to help a hangover is to stuff yourself with greasy food and water. It works for me, so hopefully it works for you.”

“Blugh… It better. We’re going to be in Germane in a few hours, and I’d rather not have to have this book on my head when we meet the Chancellors.”

“Chancellors? Are they like the Duke and Duchess?”

Twilight shook her hoof. “Nnng, no, not really. Germane is a country divided between the former Gryphon Empire and the remnants of Commander Hurricane’s expeditionary forces.”

“So… they share the land?”

The book-hat nodded. “More or less. The terrain of Germane is heavily mountainous. Jagged peaks and rocky cliffs, most of the cities are built into the sides of the mountains. Spurrlin itself is a giant aerie between the two largest peaks of the region, Mt. Gale and Mt. Taloncrest.”

“What about the wars you keep mentioning? What exactly happened?”

The book-hat slid from Twilight’s head, and Dash’s eyes went wide. Twilight’s mane hung from her head, frayed, tangled and ragged. Thick, black circles traced around her eyes, lined with trenches of wrinkles. Red streaks spiderwebbed through her eyes, and Twilight could barely keep her upper eyelids in check.

The book she had worn had landed in front of her, and her hooves jerked as she brought it to the pages and flipped them over. Dash held a hoof to her mouth to keep herself from breaking out in laughter at Twilight’s dishevelled state, while she tugged at the pages of her book manually.

“Well,” Twilight mumbled. “The Gryphon Rebellion was a territorial dispute between the native gryphons and encroaching pegasi. They tolerated each other at first, but as pegasi started to colonize and expand, gryphon leaders were worried that ponies were trying to steal their land.”

“Huh. Gryphons are pretty easy to rile up, I guess,” Dash said.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Gilda?”

“Heh, you know it. You thought she was cranky when she visited Ponyville? She was way worse in the Junior Speedsters. Getting her up for class was only the half of it.”

Twilight tried to giggle, but as the laugh escaped her lips, she winced in pain and pressed her hooves back to her temples, making small circular motions.

“M—maybe the history lesson can wait a bit,” she whispered. “When my head doesn’t feel like a stampede’s been through it.”

Dash smiled. “Fair enough.”

At that moment, the door slid open again, and a trolley wheeled into the room with the stewardess behind it. On top of it was a large pitcher of water with shaved ice and some accompanying glasses, and two plates of still sizzling hayfries. They had a wet glisten to them in the sunlight peeking through the window, and they smelled heavily of oil and salt.

“Your hayfries and water,” the stewardess said. She pulled a small capsule from her pocket and laid it on the trolley with the water. “And some aspirin, for your—”

Twilight’s ear twitched, and she sprang up from her seat, grasping for the capsule with her hooves. She snatched it and tried to open it. She frowned in frustration as she fumbled with the cap, finally resolving to remove it with her teeth. The lid popped off and she spat it away, tipping the container back.

Two white pills dropped from inside into her mouth. Twilight immediately reached for the pitcher and tipped it back to her lips. Dribbles of water splashed out of her mouth a she chugged, and slammed the pitcher down on the trolley when she was done.

Her eyes twitched a moment, before her hooves shot up to her head again. She fell onto her back and rolled around on her seat, groaning even louder than before. Dash glanced back at the pitcher. The layer of ice that once floated in the pitcher was gone.

“Snrk!” Dash snorted. “Did you just get a brain freeze, Twi?”

Twilight rolled her gaze to Dash, her eyes joyless and cold. She turned away and shielded her eyes with her foreleg. “Celestia, please kill me….”

Dash snatched a fry from the cart and popped it into her mouth. She chewed the crunchy food as loudly as she could, thanked the stewardess and reclined again. She took out her book, found her previous place, and with a smirk said “Told you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Sixteen

The Bird and the Worm

The mountains surrounding Spurrlin were absolutely massive. Dash almost thought the word “massive” was an understatement. She stared up at the mountain cliffs and felt completely insignificant in comparison. Their rocky faces stared down, watching, judging. She felt like both peaks had eyes that were trained on her, solely on her, and scrutinized her every move and thought. She felt small in front of them, and her skin crawled in fear.

She shook her head at a train whistle bleating from the station behind her. The sound of a chugging engine puttered off in the distance, and the sound of ponies bustling through jostled her senses.

Something poked her side. She turned to see Twilight smiling behind pursed lips. Her mane was brushed and her face had regained its color. Her eyes twitched slightly in the light, blinking often. “Are you ok, Dash? You seem like something’s bothering you.”

Dash cleared her throat. “I’d ask you the same thing, Twi. I’ve never seen somepony rebound from a hangover that quickly before.”

Twilight smirked. “Well, those hayfries seemed to do the trick.” She shook her head. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. You look worried.”

Dash tilted her head back. “Worried? About what? Why would you think that?”

Twilight’s smile thinned. “You answering my question with more questions is a good start. And the fact that you haven’t stopped staring at the mountains since we got off the train hasn’t helped things. Come on, Dash, if something is bothering you, you can tell me.”

Dash swallowed. There are so many things I’d like to tell you Twi, but I… I just can’t. Not now, it isn’t the right time.

Will it ever be the right time? her mind echoed.

I know it will! It has to, doesn’t it? That’s how love works right?

Maybe in some mushy love story, like the kind Rarity reads. But this is real life. And in real life, ponies have to make choices, and you are making the cowardly ones.

I am not a coward!

“Dash?” Twilight said.

Dash shook her head. “Sorry, Twi. Did you say something?”

“Well, I was concerned that something was bothering you, and it seems that I’ve just proven my theory. If you don’t want to talk about it, I—”

“—It’s just those mountains are kinda spooky. I mean just look at them.” Dash pointed a hoof up to the space between the two largest peaks. “I feel like they’re looming over me, and they're gonna fall over on me any second. I’ve seen some big mountains back in Equestria, but those are unreal.” Coward.

Twilight blinked and turned her head. She stared up at the mountains a moment, and licked the corner of her mouth. “Well, Mt. Taloncrest and Mt. Gale are the largest mountains in Equus. They are approximately five times as large as Smokey Mountain back home.”

“Really? That much bigger?”

“Well, more or less. The winds are so dangerous at that height that it’s difficult to measure it accurately.”

“Wait, you’re saying you don’t know exactly how high it is? That sounds like something that would drive you crazy.”

Twilight giggled and poked Dash in the sides. Her face brightened at the contact, and she turned away, clearing her throat.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, when a group of armored ponies appeared from the edge of the street. They moved in formation, one half pegasi, and the other gryphon. The lead was a black-garbed pegasus. He and his company beelined towards Dash and Twilight, and came to a halt in front of them.

The pegasus saluted to the two of them, and bowed his head. “Miss Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight leaned her head back. “Y-yes?”

“I would like to welcome you to Spurrlin on behalf of our leaders. I trust your voyage thus far has been fair?”

“Um….”

“Weird would be a better way of putting it,” Dash said.

The pegasus nodded at her. “Such is the season.” He returned his gaze to Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, it was not made clear whether you would require a translator during your stay, so I have been appointed as such.”

Twilight blinked, but quickly smirked. “Vielen Dank für das Angebot. Aber ich komme schon zurecht.”

The pegasus smiled. “Ach so, Sie sprechen Germane. Sie sind wirklich sehr versiert, Dame Sparkle.”

Twilight giggled. “Fräulein Sparkle ist in Ordnung.”

The pegasus chuckled with Twilight, and then she turned to Dash, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?

“You know Germaneic too? Lemme guess, Celestia taught you that one.”

Twilight giggled and shook her head. “No, Celestia taught me Itailic. I taught myself Germaneic.”

Dash sighed. “Sheesh.”

The soldier nodded. “I shall do my utmost to make your stay comfortable, Miss Dash, if the language barrier is a concern. You may address me as Storm Breeze. We have been appointed to act as your guardians during your stay in Spurrlin.”

“Our guardians?” Twilight said, bringing a hoof to her mouth. “Is there something wrong?”

Storm shook his head. “Nothing of the sort.” His head hung a moment. “Well, not exactly. We take the protection of political guests very seriously, out of old traditions. But you have come to the city during a busy time.”

“Oh? I wasn’t aware of that.” Twilight scratched her head. “And I was certain I had researched all of the special dates across the continent.”

Storm chuckled. “It is not a common event, I assure you. It has been some time since the Equestrian Games were held here last.”

Dash blinked. “Did you just say… The Equestrian Games? Here? In Spurrlin?”

Storm nodded. “Yes. They have been proceeding for a few days, and Chancellors Northwind and Gorim Tez are currently in attendance. That is why we have been sent for you, to escort you to their personal quarters overseeing the games right away.”

Dash twisted her head to Twilight. “How did you miss the Equestrian Games?!”

Twilight scratched her head. “Well, it was a sporting event, so I must have glazed over it when I was looking.”

“How do you glaze over the Equestrian Games?! It’s like the biggest event in the world next to a Wonderbolts show!” Dash turned to Storm. “And we’re going to go see them?”

Storm nodded. “The Chancellors have a private booth overseeing most of the major events, yes. I believe they will be there for the rest of the games, so they thought it best to oversee the trading of the books.”

Dash grinned. “Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!”

“If you two will follow me, I will take you to them.”

Storm and his squadron snapped to attention and spun around on their legs to face down the street. Storm barked a command in Germaneic, and the squadron began marching. Dash watched with Twilight as they marched away, and quickly followed in step behind them down the street and deeper into the mountain city.

*****

Spurrlin, as Dash observed, was built around the bases of the twin mountains themselves. Large sections of dirt and rock were carved out of the mountainside to make room for hundreds of domiciles and buildings for the citizens of the city. Dash felt a chill run over her spine as she looked at the houses.

Cold, hewn stone was the material of choice here, and added no color or life to the neighborhoods she and Twilight trekked through as they climbed up the summit. There were trees, but they, too, were almost drained of their green color and appeared like thorny grey slate against their surroundings.

And so, Dash felt overwhelmingly confused at the contrasting nature of the citizens themselves. The streets were packed on both sides, and the sky above it, with an enormous crowd of shouting, cheering and singing sports fans. Gryphon and pegasus alike were mixed in the streets, with the occasional earth and unicorn pony as well, all brightly dressed with banners and flags, plastic horns and whistles.

Marching music poured from the buildings surrounding Dash and Twilight as they kept up with Storm’s escort. The crowd parted away from Storm and his men as they passed down the middle of the street without a fuss or concern, and just as quickly filled in a gap as they passed.

“Gotta love that special treatment, huh, Twi?”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with us.”

Storm cleared his throat and gestured at one of the flags his own guards were carrying. “We bear the mark of the chancellor’s personal guard. The citizens know to give us priority, no matter the reason. I would not doubt that some know of your identities, but it is just simpler for them to let us pass quickly and resume their business. Even during the games.”

“Seems kinda strict here, huh?”

“The city does have strong military background, Dash,” Twilight said. “There is probably a strong sense of discipline in the culture here, even in the civilians.”

“Quite right, Miss Sparkle. Old traditions tend to die hard around here with our city’s history, but everyone gets along quite well, even without the Games being here.”

They approached a wide corner in the street that banked sharply around the side of the mountain. Dash heard a low, rumbling roar from around the corner that grew the closer they approached. When they stepped around, there was an explosion of cheers from an enormous crowd. At the end of the street lay a giant stone amphitheater dug into a massive crevice split from the rock of Mt. Gale. The crowd lined up snaked all across the street into the stadiums main entrance, continuing the intensity of the event out into the city behind them.

“Wow…” Dash said. “That’s bigger than the cloudesium in Cloudsdale. Way bigger.”

“I do believe the Mt. Gale arena is the second largest sporting stadium in the world. The one in Roam where the Games were first hosted is the biggest.”

Dash faced Twilight and gawked. “There’s a stadium bigger than this?”

Twilight nodded. “The Mt. Gale stadium was built shortly after the Rebellions ended, as a unifying tactic between pegasi and gryphons, and they held a grand sporting event between the two for a less violent method of competition.”

“Heh,” Dash chuckled. “Sounds like my kind of fight.” She glanced at the stadium again. “So who won?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Well, someone had to win, right? If it was a big competition between pegasi and gryphons, one side had to win.”

Twilight blinked. “Oh! Right, of course. Well it was—”

“—It was a tie.” Storm said. He glanced back with a smirk. “After all the events, it was an even split between the top pegasus and gryphon contenders. It was such an upset that the two teams nearly broke out into war again. Until the two top athletes broke it up. They stood before a tense nation of former warring rivals and shook hoof and claw together, bringing an end to war and conflict between our two peoples. It was only natural that they would end up being the first two chancellors of Germane.”

“That’s… one way to pick your leaders,” Dash said.

“Well, at least it worked.” Twilight giggled. “It’s also how they named the mountains: Arctic Gale and Cragg Taloncrest. They’ve since moved to a standard democracy, but its rather poetic when you think about it.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I think I’ll leave the poetry to you, Twi. I’ll stick to the sports.”

Twilight giggled and glanced up to the sky above the stadium. Small groups of pegasi and gryphons twirled through the air, following along with bouts of cheering. “I wonder who’s standing for Equestria’s teams.”

Storm shrugged his head. “I believe most of the athletes from Equestria were pegasi from a single team. The Wonderbolts I think they were called.”

Dash’s ear twitched. “Did you say… Wonderbolts?”

He nodded. “Yes, that was definitely the name of their team registration. Chancellor Northwind was very interested in seeing them perform. Do you know them?”

“Know them? I’m their biggest fan!” Dash shot into the air, her wings almost buzzing in the air. “And they’re in Germane! And I’m in Germane! Omigosh! First the Games, and now this? What are we doing standing around for?” She flailed her hooves in the direction of the stadium. “Let’s get going!”

She flapped her wings to fly off towards the stadium, but something caught her by the tail. Her momentum gone, she went slack in the air and felt herself suspended in the air. Hanging upside down, she saw that Twilight was looking up at her with a smirk, her horn glowing briefly as her magic released its grip on Dash’s tail. “Why don’t we stay with our escort, Dash? The Wonderbolts aren’t going anywhere.”

Dash grinned sheepishly. “Ah...yeah. Good idea, Twi.” She turned to Storm. “Lead the way.”

*****

After a few more minutes of passing through the massive crowd, Dash and Twilight entered the main foyer of the stadium. True to Storm’s word, even in the heart of the sporting event, the crowd allowed easy passage for their escort. Dash felt the excitement of the fans from all directions and could hardly contain her smile.

There were dozens of flags waving in the air, each of them representing a variety of sports teams. She recognized some of them, but her eyes were glued to the many instances of yellow and blue: the Wonderbolts. They have fans way out here! This is so awesome!

They quickly turned towards a narrow hallway that was empty, save for pairs of guards dressed just like Storm and his men. His subordinates remained at the door and he escorted Dash and Twilight on his own.

“I would like to warn you in advance,” he said. “The Chancellors, while not athletes themselves, are avid sports fans. They tend to get… easily excited in the heat of sporting events. I urge you not to get between any disputes they may cause between themselves. It is just the way the Games affect them. They are truly great friends, almost like brothers of different blood.”

“Are they… easily angered?” Twilight asked.

Storm snorted. “No more than any other sports fan. Share in their enthusiasm, and you will be fine.”

“Share…. Right….”

Dash leaned over and whispered in Twilight’s ear. “Twi, what sports do you actually know?”

“Um… I know the Wonderbolts.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Twi, the Wonderbolts are an aerial performance team. What they do in a show isn’t really a competitive sport. They just happen to have really good athletes on their team, so they can double as a sports team too.”

“O-oh… I guess that makes sense. Then I guess I don’t really know that much about sports. Except what I—”

“—Except what you read in books?”

Twilight blushed. “S-sorry.”

Dash chuckled. “It’s ok, Twi. Just let me do the sports talk with the Chancellors if they ask.”

“Yeah, that’d probably be best. I wouldn’t want to make a fool of myself.”

Dash smirked. “Don’t worry, Twi; I got us covered.”

At the end of the hall was was a guarded door where a pegasus and gryphon stood at attention. They saluted as Storm approached, and opened the door, allowing them to pass. A rush of air passed through the door, followed by a dull roar of a cheering crowd. under the din of the stadium, Dash could make out a pair of voices arguing.

“Sieh dir das an, altes Federhirn! Noch ein Punkt für meine Seite!” A smooth, jovial voice said.

“Nur weil meine Seite in einem Altenheim sein sollte und nicht auf dem Spielfeld!” came a grumpy reply.

“Das sagst du immer, Tez, und jedesmal verlierst sie. Sieh es ein, die Barone haben keine Chance gegen echte Pegasus-Athleten.!”

Twilight and Dash followed Storm into the room. It was a large private booth, filled with more guards. The room opened up into a balcony, and as Storm led them, Dash saw that it opened over the field below. She could see the entire stadium and the thousands of attendees from this vantage, and whistled at the sight.

In the middle of the balcony was a pair of large cushions. Seated on each of them respectively was a pegasus and gryphon bickering with each other. The pegasus was grinning widely, holding his hooves to his sides as he laughed, while the gryphon sneered and pointed his claws into the field below.

Dash noticed they both wore similar clothes, both colored a stony grey and styled like a military tunic much like the one Dash saw Twilight’s brother wear during his wedding. Storm approached the two and stood to a quick salute. “ Euer Ehren. Die Gesandten aus Equestria sind angekommen.”

The pegasus and gryphon turned to look at Storm, then turned their attention to Twilight and Dash. The pegasus’s eyes brightened, and he quickly stood. “Ah, Dame Sparkle.” He bowed his head at Twilight. “You bless us with your presence. It is an honor to have you here during this festive time!”

Twilight nodded. “It is a pleasure to be here, your eminence.”

“I am Chancellor Northwind, of the pegasi clans.” He gestured to the gryphon beside him. “And this grumpy bag of feathers is Gorim Tez, of the gryphon clans.”

Gorim grunted. “"Du wirst mir verzeihen wenn ich nicht aufstehe um das Botenmädchen der Prinzessin zu begrüßen.”

Storm cleared his throat. “Fräulein Sparkle spricht unsere Sprache sehr gut, Eure Exzellenz.”

Gorim scowled, while Northwind broke out laughing. “It looks like you will actually have to be polite for once, Gorim.”

Gorim turned back to the stadium below, uttering a loud “bah!”

Northwind shook his head and turned back to Twilight. “You’ll have to forgive my friend, Miss Sparkle. Gorim gets this way when his teams lose to mine.”

“They wouldn’t be losing if they had just accepted my brother’s children to the team like they should have last year!”

Northwind shook his head at Gorim and glanced at Dash. “Now, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, miss…”

“Dash, sir. Rainbow Dash.”

His eyebrow raised. “Rainbow Dash… Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

Dash tilted her head. “You’ve heard of me?”

“But of course! What pegasus in their right mind would not know of the one who broke the spectrum barrier? One hasn’t been heard of since before even Commander Hurricane's time, and it was still a myth then too.”

Northwind leaned in closer to Dash. “And I hear you’re a fan of the Wonderbolts.”

“Am I!? I’m their biggest fan!”

“Oh ho, a fair boast, when it is obvious that I am their biggest fan!”

Dash narrowed her eyes critically. “Oh really? Then who is the Wonderbolts’ lead derby racer?”

“Fleetfoot, of course. She won the gold medal in the sprints just this morning. Who is their top athlete in the cloud corrals?”

“Soarin’, five years in a row. When did Spitfire win the gold in the hundred meter air dash?”

“Trick question. It was her brother, Rapidfire, and it was four years ago in Fillydelphia.”

Dash chuckled. “Heh, you’re pretty good, sir.”

“You as well, Miss Dash. It’s been a while since I met a match for my love of the Wonderbolts. If only old Gorim would do the same.”

“Bah!” Gorim grunted. “I promise you, Northwind, when my niece and nephew joins the team, the Red Barons will win over your precious Wonderbolts any day!”

Dash snickered to Northwind. “He would be a Red Barons fan.”

Northwind smiled, but Twilight frowned. “The Red Barons?”

“It’s basically the gryphon version of the Wonderbolts. They are pretty good, but they always seem to come second to the Wonderbolts.” She smirked. “Not that its much of a surprise.”

Gorim stood and turned to face them. “If it weren’t for their rules of age, I swear to you—”

“—Yes, yes. We understand, Gorim. Your niece and nephew are fantastic athletes, even I can attest to that. But those rules are there for a reason.”

Gorim descended into silent grumbles on his seat. Dash leaned over to Northwind. “Who’s his niece and nephew? Are they really any good?”

Northwind nodded. “Yes. They would be a shoe-in for the team if they were a year older.”

Dash looked down and kicked the ground lightly. “Yeah, that’s one of the things that’s keeping me out of the Wonderbolts. I need to wait another year before they can seriously consider me for the academy.”

“A shame, really. But regulations are regulations. We all have our prices to pay, but a little patience is hardly that bad, is it?”

Dash shrugged. She glanced out over the balcony to the events below, when a voice called out from the other room. “Uncle Tez! Did I miss anything?”

Northwind turned. “Speaking of which… here comes Gorim’s neice now.”

Gorim sat up and turned his attention to the door. “The Barons are up next. Hurry up, you don’t want to miss it.”

“Good, I thought I was going to—Dash?”

Dash went tense. That voice. She spun around, and gasped at what she saw. A gryphon stood in the doorway, mouth gaping in the same way. Her lavender traced eyes were wide with shock, and her similarly shaded crown feathers stood rigid on her head.

“Gilda?!”

Chapter Seventeen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter Seventeen

Sky Diver

There was a strong moment of silence in the private booth. Even the roar of the crowd just outside did little to alleviate the tension in the air between Gilda and Dash as they stared at each other with widened eyes. The chancellors both turned and raised an eyebrow at the scene.

Gilda coughed. “Dash. What are you doing here?”

“I’d ask you the same thing,” Dash said shortly.

“Oh!” Northwind exclaimed with a clap of his hooves. “You know each other? What a fortuitous reunion then!”

“Yeah… We know each other alright.”

“We went to school together for a while back home,” Gilda said.

A moment of silence passed, before Twilight cleared her throat and spoke up. “Well this is a pleasant surprise, isn’t it, Dash? I never really got to meet Gilda before back in Ponyville.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

Twilight smiled. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m one of Dash’s friends from Ponyville.”

"Right... I guess I remember you." Gilda’s eyes narrowed and scanned the room. “Where’s the pink one? I figured you would have all of your new friends with you.”

Dash scowled at the venom in Gilda’s voice. “Her name is Pinkie Pie, and she couldn’t make it. It’s just me and Twilight.”

Gilda shrugged. “Hmph.”

“Gilda,” Gorim growled. “Be polite to our guests, even if you have a past with them.”

Gilda sighed. “Yes, Uncle Gorim.”

“Where is your brother?”

“He’s downstairs with the Barons’ aeronastics team. They aren’t on for another hour, so he’s probably busy schmoozing them.”

Northwind chuckled. “Why don’t you three go through the arena and see the event’s up close. The guards know Gilda, and will allow you passage anywhere you wish to go.”

“Really?” Twilight said. “That would be exciting to see the sports up close.”

“Fine,” Gilda said, turning. “Follow me, and try to keep up. It’s busy everywhere.”

Twilight trotted quickly towards Gilda and the door with a smile on her face. Dash, however, lingered a moment before slowly making her way over. She watched Gilda carefully. Looks like she hasn’t changed one bit.

They left the private booth and turned down the hallway. Dash walked aside Twilight behind Gilda as she led the way.

“So Dash.” Gilda said suddenly. “How have you been?”

Dash blinked. “Uh...fine, I guess. You?”

She shrugged. “Can’t complain. Been dealing with stuff since I last saw you.”

“Yeah…?”

Gilda trailed off a mumbled reply. Dash shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Twilight glanced at her. “Is everything okay, Dash?” she whispered.

Dash shrugged. “I dunno. She seems okay, but she’s still a grouch.”

“There must be something you can say. I know you two left on a sour note, but you two were friends once. That must mean something to you both.”

“I guess. But she’s no better at talking about…” Dash caught herself and swallowed, fighting back a blush. “...feelings and junk like that than I am. She’s too proud, l-like me…”

“Well, why don’t I say something?” Twilight smiled and hastened her trot.

Dash felt something in her her chest drop, and she uttered a strangled noise as she reached out a hoof to stop Twilight, but was too late.

“Excuse me, Gilda?”

Gilda stopped and turned her head, eyebrow raised. “What is it?”

Twilight glanced between her and Dash. “I can tell you two are having difficulty talking about what happened back in Ponyville last year. I think now would be a good time to reconcile. After all, you two were friends once. There’s no reason you can’t be again.”

Gilda glared at Twilight, but her face softened as she glanced at Dash. Dash stared back, and was surprised to see something she never thought she would see in Gilda: regret.

Gilda shook her head and narrowed her eyes on Twilight. “Look, it has been a while. But that doesn’t make what happened any different.” She pointed a claw at Dash. “My best friend turned her back on me!”

Dash reared back, shocked by Gilda’s accusation. “I played a few pranks and you blamed my friends for it! I defended them and took the blame, how is that turning my back on you?”

“Pretty funny way to treat your only friend during flight school!”

“I told you those pranks weren’t just meant for you! And you weren’t my only friend. I’ve known Fluttershy longer than you.”

“That klutz with the bunnies? Yeah, like she could defend you from Hoops and his goons like I did!”

“I didn’t need defending.”

Gilda opened her mouth for another retort, when a loud whistle screeched in the tiny hallway. Dash covered her ears and glanced to Twilight. She had a whistle in her mouth, which disappeared as her magical glow around it faded. She cleared her throat and glanced between Dash and Gilda. “Now that’s enough. I felt some venting was in order, and I think we cleared the air quite a bit, so let’s move past that. I can sense a lot of unresolved tension between you two, and it seems that its from a lot more than just what happened last year.

“You two both made a mistake, and it cost you a long standing friendship.” Twilight smiled at the both of them. “Now, I don’t know about you two, or the depth of the history you both share, but I’ve learned a lot about the importance of friends, and I think it would be really nice if you two could just… put aside this one event and try again.” Twilight held her gaze on Dash, a pleading look in her eyes. “For me?”

Dash felt heated, but as Twilight stared at her, she felt her anger lapsing. She slumped her head and sighed, but wasn’t the only one. She looked up and saw Gilda doing the same. She refused to make eye contact and crossed her arms. Gilda stole a glance in Dash’s direction, and huffed when she got caught.

Dash smirked and trotted past Twilight. Gilda resisted meeting her gaze, twisting her neck further with a slight crackling noise. Dash lifted a hoof out to Gilda, who stared at it with a stern look.

“Twilight’s right, G. I feathered up, but I’m willing to put what happened behind us if you are. We’re both on vacation, right? There’s no sense letting what happened a whole year ago ruining it for the both of us right now.”

Gilda narrowed her eyes. Another moment of silence drifted through the halls of the stadium. Finally, Gilda shrugged and reached out and claw and grasped Dash’s hoof. “Fine. I can deal if you can.” She tugged Dash closer and stared her down. “But this doesn’t make us friends again. We can just see how this goes for now. Just try to not embarrass me in front of my uncle or my brother, and we can talk after.”

Dash smiled as she shook Gilda’s claw. “Deal.” She tilted her head. “But I’ve never met your brother. What’s he like?”

Gilda smirked. “He’s cool. Not as cool as me, but he does his best. C’mon, I’ll introduce you.” She turned and continued back down the hallway.

Dash lingered a moment and glanced at Twilight. She held herself high with a wide smile as she stared back. “I can’t believe you did that, Twi.”

Twilight frowned. “Are you mad?”

“Mad? I’m amazed. You somehow managed to talk down Gilda of all gryphons into a truce. I don’t think I could have done that without you pushing us like that.” Dash nudged Twilight in the shoulder. “Looks like this whole friendship report business is really working.”

Twilight smiled. “I’ve had great teachers.”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, I guess the princesses would be pretty helpful.”

Twilight laughed. “They have been wonderful sources of advice, but that wasn’t who I was talking about.”

Twilight trotted past Dash after Gilda, leaving Dash behind. She stood stunned, heat assaulting her face again, when Gilda shouted back down the hall. “Hey, you coming or what?”

*****

Gilda led Dash and Twilight down into the lower levels of the stadium. Dash’s nose wrinkled as they went further, but she shook the feeling away. Twilight, on the other hoof, couldn’t go a few steps without sneezing or coughing.

“What in Equus is that smell?!”

“Uh, Twi. We’re in the locker rooms.”

Twilight just stared at her.

Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m going to guess you didn’t take gym class in that fancy unicorn school of yours.”

Twilight blinked. “I may have… missed a few classes.”

Dash snorted. “Well, you’d better get used to the glorious odor of sweat and excessive deodorant, because down here, you ain’t finding anything else.”

Twilight shot Dash a flat look. “Wonderful.”

Gilda stopped at a split in the hallway, which broke off in numerous directions. There were loud noises pouring in from all of them: shouting, cheering and other noises that gave Dash fond reminders of her time in school. Gilda pointed down one of the halls.

“The Baron’s locker room is down this way. Best chance of finding my brother would be there.”

Dash chuckled. “Heh, I guess I can handle meeting the Barons. They’re no Wonderbolts, but they’ll do for now.”

Gilda glared at her, which Dash responded by shaking a hoof at her. “Whoa, G. Kidding. I don’t hate the Barons. I’ve seen their shows in Equestria. They’re good, I’m just a Wonderbolt mare at heart.”

“Yeah, I got an earful of that back when we were kids. But out here, the Barons are the ones with the spotlight. The ‘Bolts might have fans out here, but the people here value the Barons way more.”

“Is that out of local pride?” Twilight asked.

Gilda shrugged. “I guess. The Barons were originally a military unit from the old wars, so they have a lot of history here.” She glanced at Dash. “I’m not sure what significance the Wonderbolts have where you’re from.”

Dash scratched her head. “Well, I wanna say it’s almost the same. Old military types, from the Lunar Rebellions I think.” She glanced to Twilight. “That’s about right, Twilight?”

Twilight blinked. “That’s exactly right. How did you know that?”

Dash scoffed. “I read a Wonderbolts history book, where else?”

Twilight laughed, while Gilda rolled her eyes. “Geeze, Dash. When did you become such an egghead?”

Dash shrugged. “Turns out books are pretty cool, G. Maybe you should try ‘em out.”

“Pass,” Gilda said, holding up a claw. Gilda led them to a door on the far end of the hallways. She knocked on the door, and a few moments later a black crowned gryphon poked his head out.

His eyes narrowed on Dash and Twilight, before he noticed Gilda. He smiled and nodded his head. “Hey Gilda. What’s up?”

“Hey, Sig. Have you seen my brother?”

He shook his head. “No. He was here earlier, then he said something about getting something to eat.”

Gilda sighed. “Figures. That featherbrain is always hungry.”

“Yep.” He turned his attention back on Dash and Twilight. “So, what’s with the ponies?”

Gilda gestured a claw at Dash. “This here is Rainbow Dash, my roommate from flight school, and one of her pony friends from Equestria.”

Gilda then pointed her claw at the gryphon in the doorway. "And this is Sigur, my brother’s best friend. He decided to tag along on our trip to visit uncle.”

Sigur chuckled. “Never thought you to play nice with the pony folk, Gilda. I guess learning to fly with ponies softened you up.”

Gilda scowled and slugged Sigur in the cheek. “Shut up, Sig.”

Sigur rubbed his cheek, still chuckling. “I’d say you hit like a girl, but you hit more like a pony these days.”

Gilda groaned. “At least Mace isn’t here for this.”

“Someone say my name?”

Dash turned around and saw another gryphon standing behind her. He looked a lot like Gilda, in Dash’s opinion, only male. Even his eyes and crown feathers were painted the same color as Gilda’s. He was busily munching on a brightly colored fruit as he walked, staring at Gilda.

She sighed. “‘Bout time you showed up, Mace.”

Mace bit into his fruit again. “I was hungry.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “And you got a fruit?”

Mace grinned. “I like fruit.”

“You would.”

Mace finished eating and tossed the remnants of his meal into the garbage, and turned his attention to Dash and Twilight. He frowned a moment. “You’re… Rainbow Dash, ain’t you?”

Dash leaned back. “Uh, yeah?” She tilted her head. “Have we met before?”

Mace shook his head. “Nah. But Gilda would talk about you all the feathering time when we were kids. Kinda easy to tell who you are.”

“Mace!” Gilda snapped.

Dash turned in time to see Gilda turning her head away, rubbing the back of her neck. “What did you talk to him about?" Dash asked.

“Um, y’know… stuff and things. How good of a flyer you were and…”

Gilda descended into quiet muttering, avoiding Dash’s gaze. Mace frowned and narrowed his eyes, staring slowly between the two of them. He blinked, and his mouth spread into a wide, malicious grin. “Oh… Now I get it. I can’t believe I never saw it before. All that time, the gushing about your best friend from flight school and how awesome she was.” Mace chuckled.

Gilda’s eyes widened. “Don’t say it, Mace!”

Mace laughed louder, pointed an accusatory claw at Gilda. “But it’s so cute to think about.” He glanced at Sigur, who raised an eyebrow. “Our little Geegee had a pony crush!”

Gilda’s face set in shock. Dash’s eyes widened as heat assaulted her face without warning. Sigur brought a claw to his mouth to try and hide his laughing as Mace started snickering.

Twilight stepped back. “Oh my…”

Dash tried to make eye contact with Gilda, but she evaded her. “Gilda?”

Gilda’s eyes darted, looking anywhere but Dash. She backed away into the wall, stuttering.

A door slammed in the distance, followed by shouting. “We need a doctor in here!”

Dash’s attention broke for a second as she turned towards the new sound. A group of ponies raced through the hall down an opposite path. Twilight spun around and galloped down the hallway, stopping at the edge of the crowd.

A second door slammed behind Dash. She turned, and Gilda was gone. Mace chuckled and sauntered towards the door. “Ah Gilda. Endless entertainment.” He glanced at Dash. “Maybe the lovebirds need a minute.” Mace snickered one more time before he stepped through the Baron’s door and let it shut behind him.

Dash stared at the door as her mind began unraveling. Gilda… has a thing for me?

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight was staring at her, worry in her eyes. “Dash, you need to see this. It’s Spitfire. They’re taking her to the hospital.”

Chapter Nineteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 19

Hospital Flowers

“There are few words I can think of in Equestrian that would convey my disappointment right now,” Chancellor Gorim said. His voice was tense, angry, and surprisingly reserved as he paced before Dash and Gilda back in the private booth.

Dash held her head low, wincing in pain every time she tried to move. Cuts covered her body, with a prominent laceration above her eye. She tasted blood in her mouth, and chances were, it was probably her own.

Gilda fared no better. What she lacked in cuts, she made up for in bruises, especially a big, glowing shiner that was growing around her eye. She too held her head down as Gorim continued berating the two of them.

Dash tried to turn back to Twilight, but each deviation of her attention was met with more shouting from the agitated gryphon elder. The only glances she could get of her friend were met with concern and worry. Northwind stood beside her, and shared the sentiment.

“I expected better from an emissary of Equestria,” Gorim said to Dash.

“And I expected better from my own flesh and blood,” he said to Gilda.

“She started it!” Dash and Gilda said, pointing at each other.

Gorim held up his claw. “And I will see fit to end it. The last thing I expected to happen during the Games of all things was to be disciplining younglings at my age.”

He glanced past them to Twilight. “Your ‘guards’ explained a disturbance between the teams in the locker rooms. Would you care to explain, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight blinked. She slowly approached Gorim, and bowed her head shakily. “Um… well. One of the Wonderbolts’ athlete’s fell ill just before her event. I offered my assistance in determining what happened, and the results were… unsettling.”

Gorim raised an eyebrow. “Unsettling how?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, we determined that Spitfire, the athlete in question, had been poisoned with an allergen. Someone had placed pomegranate seeds in her meal and she suffered a severe reaction to it.”

“Poisoned?” Northwind exclaimed. “Who would do such a thing?”

Twilight winced. “Well, that is the unsettling part. Initial evidence pointed to...to—”

“She blamed Mace for it, uncle!” Gilda blurted.

Northwind gasped, but Gorim’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “That… is a very serious accusation you are bringing to me, Miss Sparkle.”

“I-I wouldn’t be bringing it forward if there wasn’t any merit to it, your honor.”

“So you choose to stand here and tell me to my face that my own nephew committed this crime?”

“Well...n-no. I only found probable cause. I hadn’t made any formal conclusions, I only expressed my interest in pursuing the possibility. I meant no disrespect to your family or your hospitality.”

“And yet my nephew has been accused of a serious crime by your portable guards, and my niece stands before me bruised and injured by your own escort.”

Gorim glanced to the door. Mace leaned against it, watching with a stone like expression. “Mace, what say you to these accusations?”

Mace shook his head. “Ridiculous, Uncle. As I said to Miss Sparkle, anyone would have had the opportunity to harm Miss Spitfire, and the means to do it. I agree that I looked rather guilty with the ‘poison’ in question in my claws. If Miss Sparkle had looked closer, she would have seen that I had eaten the seeds, and left a portion of the skin, nothing else.”

Gorim grunted and turned to look out at the field. The games were still proceeding, roars and cheers pouring in from the windows. Gorim rested his claws on the edge and arched his shoulders.

Dash glanced back to Mace. He cocked a wicked, malicious grin in her direction. She spun back. “He’s lying! I can see it in his face that he did it!”

“Dash,” Twilight whispered, ”Don’t.”

“Miss Dash,” Gorim said, pushing himself off of the railing. He turned slowly, and stared at Dash with a neutral expression. “Your offences against my family has been noted. I don’t know the extent of your past with Gilda, but I imagine it had not had a pleasant end, which would explain your little brawl in the Baron’s locker room.”

“I was only defending myself,” Dash said. “She attacked me, like she always does.”

Gilda’s eyes widened, but she quickly frowned and looked away.

“And what a spectacular job you made of that. I look forward to my brother’s reaction when I send her home with these injuries. I assure you I am far kinder a gryphon than he.”

Dash caught Gilda shudder out of the corner of her eye.

“Storm Breeze!” Gorim barked.

The black uniformed guard stepped into the room past Mace and over to Gorim’s side. “Yes, your honor?”

“I have seen reason to make this exchange briefer than intended, to prevent further antagonizing.” He approached Twilight, who attempted to take a step back away from him. He held out an open claw to her. “Your book, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight blinked. She shook her head and opened her bags, withdrawing one of her history books. She placed it carefully in Gorim’s claw, who quickly thrust it to Northwind. He took it in one of his wings and placed it in his own saddlebag, and then withdrew a book of his own. Gorim snatched it and held it in front of Twilight. She looked at it with concern, but nodded in understanding and took it and placed it in her bags.

“There,” Gorim said. “Exchange complete. I see no reason we need to continue our hospitality any further.”

“Gorim!” Northwind exclaimed. “You can’t mean to kick them out. What would the princess think?”

Gorim glared at him. “I will let you worry about your princess thinks. I shall continue to prioritize the needs of my people as I always have, and not bother by the shackles you think I wear under the hooves of Celestia.”

Gorim looked at Dash and Twilight one final time. “As for them. Get them out of my sight.”

*****

“I am so sorry, Chancellor Northwind,” Twilight said as they walked together out of the stadium. Dash followed closely behind with her head hanging low. Storm Breeze took up the rear, holding the Chancellor’s flag to keep the crowd away.

“You need not apologize to me, Miss Sparkle,” Northwind said. “I fully understand your intentions to help, and I do thank you for your assistance. Regardless of my admiration for the team, I am glad they had you there to help.”

He turned his head back to Dash. “And you can stop dwelling back there, Miss Dash. I do not fault you for defending yourself, if that is why you think to be so hard on yourself. Gorim has a great fondness for his relatives. He would shout even at me if I were to say the same thing.”

Dash looked away. “He’s right though. It was my fault. I barged in without thinking, even with Twilight trying to stop me, and goaded Gilda into attacking me. I’m such an idiot, and now we’re getting kicked out of the country.”

Northwind chuckled. “I wouldn’t say the country. Regardless of what Gorim thinks, I still have to agree with such a decision before it is final. But, for the sake of maintaining his composure, I agree that leaving the arena was a positive course of action.”

Dash looked at Twilight. “I am so sorry, Twilight. First the Duke, and now this… Maybe I should just stay at the train station from now on.”

Twilight sighed. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Dash. I am upset that you rushed in without a plan, but I would by lying if I didn’t know it was your nature. Me trying to curb your passion would be as easy as dealing with an ursa major.” She smiled. “Just… try to think ahead next time. We did what we came here for, so as far as I’m concerned this trip is still a success.”

Dash grumbled under her breath. “You’re too nice sometimes, Twi. Even to me.”

Dash skipped a breath when Twilight slowed her pace to match her own. Twilight brushed up beside her and placed a leg around her neck. “You’re my friend, Dash. We have our disagreements, but we’ve always found a way through them. I would never hold something like this against you.”

Dash blinked. “Y-you… really mean that?”

She smiled. “Definitely. I’ll always be your friend, Dash. No matter what.”

Dash felt her mind try to protest against Twilight’s use of the word friend, but for once since her journey began, it didn’t. Dash felt a calm wash over her, relaxing a part of her mind that had tormented her for weeks. She’ll always be my friend… no matter what.

Northwind cleared his throat, and smiled. “Now then, it’s good to see that this little upset hasn’t affected your mood. I think we can learn something from this, in time, but for now, let’s get you to a hospital, Miss Dash and get you cleaned up. It’s the least we can do before sending you off. No need to get on a train all bloodied, now do we?”

Dash swallowed. “Am I going to get stitches?”

Northwind narrowed his eyes, examining Dash’s wounds. “I wouldn’t think so, although that one above your eye might need some more immediate attention.”

Dash grumbled, prompting a giggle from Twilight. “You aren’t afraid of getting stitches, are you Dash?”

“No!” she said quickly. “I just don’t like it when somepony sticks a piece of metal in my skin.”

“Oh, so its the needle you’re afraid of? Well, don’t worry, I’ll be there if you need a hoof to hold onto.”

And just as quickly as her mind had calmed, Twilight had tossed another wrench into Dash’s mind as the trotted away from the stadium and deeper into Spurrlin.

*****

The next morning, Dash, Twilight and Northwind were standing at the train platform with a guarded escort. A chilly wind blew through the deep valley, rustling Dash’s feathers as she waited for the train. She brought a hoof to her forehead and rubbed it, but it was quickly slapped away by Twilight.

“Stop picking at it, Dash. You’re going to pull it out.”

“But it itches, Twilight,” she whined. “I hate stitches.”

Twilight giggled. “You hate your stitches because it itches? I never knew you could be so poetic, Dash.”

Dash grumbled to herself as Twilight laughed, fighting the irritation at the top of her eye. She sat down on the platform and propped a leg under her chin. “Ugh, when is the train gonna get here?”

Northwind reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. “Perhaps another few minutes. The avalanches that cut us off from Prance have made quite the mess, especially on our end. Many visitors of the games are not native to Spurrlin, and will have a great deal of trouble getting home.”

Dash chuckled. “Tell ‘em to go through Antlerdam. That’s what we did.” She glanced at Twilight with a playful smirk. “Just warn them to stay away from the hard cider.”

Twilight’s ear twitched as she looked away. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Dash laughed. “You know, I wonder what the girls would say when they found out you were such a party mare, Twi.”

“I’m not listening!” Twilight said in a singsong voice.

Dash continued laughing to herself, when she heard a flourish of wing beats above her. She turned her head, and couldn’t believe her eyes. Gilda landed on the platform beside her with a stumble, covered in bandages. She stared at Dash with a sombre expression.

Dash felt her frustrations return in force. “What do you want?” Dash said acidly. “Did you come to gloat about how you won, or maybe—”

“I’m sorry.” Gilda said.

“ —you just want to hit me one more—” She blinked. “Wait, what?”

Gilda sighed. “I said I’m sorry. I want to apologize, Dash. For everything. You were right.”

Dash tilted her head. “About what?”

“About Mace.” Gilda growled as she said his name. “He is probably the biggest jerk I know, but he’s still my brother. The only reason I defended him was because he’s been there for me before, but I never thought he would be capable of doing something like this.”

“How did you find out?”

Gilda sighed. “I was about to go to bed last night. He and Sigur share a room, and he left his door open a bit. I heard them talking about it like it was some grand scheme that went off without a hitch. I couldn’t believe him. He’s done a lot of rotten, underclawed things before, but this… this was too much.”

Dash lost a breath in her chest. “What did you do?”

“What do you think? I turned him in.” She looked away. “I’m not proud of it, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.”

“You ratted out your own brother?”

“Like I said, he’s a jerk. I will do a lot of things to win, Dash. Like train harder, and train longer, but I will never cheat. You taught me that cheating is for losers, and I’ve never forgotten that.”

Northwind stepped forward. “What did your uncle say?”

Gilda chuckled. “Say? He hasn’t said anything. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t stopped screaming yet.”

Northwind frowned. “Oh dear. I suppose I should get back there before he ends up setting the arena on fire.”

Dash frowned. “But the arena is made of stone.”

Northwind smiled. “Oh, I assure you, Gorim would find a way.” He glanced at Twilight. “I’m sorry I can’t see you off, Miss Sparkle. I hope the rest of your journey is pleasant.” He and Twilight bowed their heads to each other. Northwind shouted a phrase in Germaneic and his escort snapped to attention. They took to the sky in a flash, and soared away up the slope of the mountain.

Dash watched them leave, and then turned to Gilda. “So… what now?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve alienated myself from my brother for the rest of my life. He’s been banned from the Red Barons for his dishonorable conduct. He’ll avoid prison, only because I’m sure uncle Gorim knows sending him back to dad will be a worse punishment.”

Gilda let the tiniest smirk tug at her mouth. “The Barons won the gold with Spitfire out of the way, but as soon as they heard what my brother did, they forfeited the medal to the next team. They refused to win like that.”

“Wow…” Dash said.

Gilda glanced at Twilight. “And Uncle Gorim wanted me to extend his apology to the both of you.”

“Really?” Twilight said.

Gilda shrugged. “Well, he didn’t say it, but I could get that it would be one thing he’d have to do. He won’t admit it, but I’m pretty sure he’s scared of Celestia.”

Twilight laughed. Gilda glanced at Dash, and back to Twilight. “Can you give me and Dash a minute?”

Twilight reared her head. “Oh! Um… of course. Take all the time you need.”

Dash lifted a hoof, but Twilight had already started trotting away. She slowly brought her eyes to Gilda, who stared back.

Gilda brought a claw to her mouth and coughed. “So…”

Dash looked away and rubbed her neck. “Yeah…”

Gilda groaned. “Ugh, just say it, Dash!”

Dash sighed, knowing exactly what Gilda was talking about. “Do you really have a crush on me?”

Gilda bobbed her head. “Had would be a better word. I’ve grown out of it, but I still remember the feelings.”

“But why? I just don’t get why you would feel that way.”

Gilda sat down. Her face fell, and her gaze dropped to the ground. “You remember how I said I was your only friend?”

“Yeah…?”

She traced the ground with an extended talon. “Well, it was the opposite that was true.”

“You mean…?”

“Everypony at flight school was afraid of me when I first transferred. You were the only one who talked to me.”

“Because I thought you were cool! Gryphons are awesome, and I thought you would be a great friend to have.”

Gilda’s cheeks tinged red. “Yeah, well, I guess you talkin’ to me left an impression. Looking back on it now, it was just a stupid little kid crush, but it didn’t stop me from trying.”

Dash frowned. “But I don’t get it. I’m trying to remember anything you tried to get my attention, but I don’t.”

“Because I didn’t. I was too scared.”

Dash blinked.

Gilda lifted her head. “And now you feel the same thing, don’t you?” Gilda glanced across the platform. “About her?”

Dash followed Gilda’s gaze to Twilight. She was reading her map, turning it around and humming a tune that carried across the platform. It was a happy song, one that Dash had heard her sing before. Her voice was melodic, and Dash felt a sense of longing the longer Twilight sang.

She glanced back at Gilda. “Yeah… I do.”

Gilda smirked. “I figured. You look at her the same way I looked at you.” Gilda placed a claw on her chest. “The feelings are gone, Dash. I promise you that. I don’t think it needs to be weirder between us than it has to be. I just want to be your friend again. It really hurt when we fought last year.” Gilda leaned in closer. “And I’ll deny it to my grave if you ever tell anyone I said that.”

Dash couldn’t help but grin. Gilda leaned back with a relieved sigh. “That feels better, to finally say it.” She shot Dash a hard look. “So you better get your flank in gear and tell her, Dash.” Gilda poked a claw in Dash’s chest. “Because these feelings, if you don’t let them out, they’ll eat you from the inside. And it hurts. A lot. Take it from me.”

“Gilda…”

Gilda lifted a claw. “Now I don’t wanna talk about it anymore. Let’s just say our goodbyes.”

Dash smirked, and Gilda tilted her head. “What?”

“You know, we can’t just leave it at a goodbye, right?”

Gilda blinked a few times, and groaned. “Really?”

“Yes, G. Really.”

“Ugh, fine.” Gilda leaned forward, arms spread. Dash did the same and the two shared a friendly hug.

“I’m sorry for everything, G. I mean it.”

“Me too, just don’t go spreading it around.”

“No promises. You should come back to Ponyville sometime. I’d like you to try again with my friends. They are really awesome once you get to know them.”

“I’ll try. I’ll have to deal with my dad first. Somehow I feel I’ll still get punished for letting Mace even attempt what he did.” She sighed. “So much for a peaceful vacation.”

Dash chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

Dash finally let go of Gilda. She stood and stretched her wings, wincing a few times. “You bruised me up pretty good, Dash. I forgot how hard you could hit.”

“I wasn’t too pleased about the stitches I had to get.”

Gilda laughed. “You look cooler with a scar, even a tiny one like that.”

Dash laughed too. She felt a world's worth of tension die with the relief that the had finally, truly reconciled with one of her oldest friends. It wasn’t an easy battle, but she truly felt at peace with everything that happened.

Gilda started flapping her wings and rose to the air. “I’d better get back. I have a feeling I’ll be sent home early once Uncle catches his breath.” She turned to the sky and drifted in the wind, calling back one last time. “You’d better tell her, Dash. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

And she was gone. Dash watched her race through the air after Northwind and his guard towards the arena. The whistles of a train brought her senses back to the earth, as she watched it pull into the station beside her.

“That was kind of you,” Twilight said.

Dash jumped. Twilight was right behind her. “Twilight! How much did you hear?”

Twilight shrugged. “Nothing. But I saw the hug. I take it things are okay between you two now?”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, we’re ok. I’ll be seeing her again.”

“That’s good.” Twilight smiled. “I’m proud of you, Dash.”

Dash frowned. “Why?”

“You could have rejected her apology. I honestly wouldn’t have thought any less of you if you did, after what had happened last year and last night. I wasn’t certain you two could ever truly reconcile, but you proved me wrong. It took a lot to hear her out, even more to accept her. It was nice to see friendship triumph over all things considered.”

“Y-yeah, I guess it did.”

Twilight nodded and turned to the train as the doors slid open and ponies began filing into the cars. “Now, we better get on the train. The last thing we need is to be late in getting to Stalliongrad.”

Dash froze. “Did you just say… Stalliongrad?!”

Chapter Twenty

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 20

Metropolis

Leaving the mountains of Germane behind, the cross continental train chugged along through the chilly plains of Stalliongrad. It traveled through the night and following day at a steady pace, filled with passengers still reeling in excitement of the concluding Equestrian Games. Twilight had said she looked forward to a peaceful trip out of the mountains to relax and sleep after the long and exciting weeks they had traveled so far.

Sleep, however, evaded Dash through most of the first night. Her mind was in a haze of excitement, confusion and joy. Even Twilight’s attempt at reading history, as she usually did through these interludes, fell as white noise on her ears. She peered out the train window, her breath fogging the glass. Rolling hills of green and white dotted the landscape as far as she could see. The mountains of Germane were well behind them, but a chill ran up Dash's spine as no matter how far the traveled, the peaks of Mt. Gale and Taloncrest seemed to stand out on the horizon.

She looked forward, seeing the winding crags and valleys that comprised much of Stalliongrad’s territory. She could feel the cold of the outside on the window through her hooves, and the sparks of excitement that it brought to her mind.

Stalliongrad. I can’t believe I didn’t think we would be coming here. The coolest country ever, except for maybe Equestria, and I’m gonna be there. I can’t wait!

Dash giggled to herself, pressing her nose harder against the glass. The sun was arching in the sky towards dusk, and stars were starting to show their faces out of the approaching night sky.

“You look excited, Dash.” Twilight said, looking up from her book. “Is there something from Stalliongrad history that I’ve read that you’re looking forward to?”

“What isn’t there to be excited about?” Dash said. “Stalliongrad is the land of the dragon hunters! Where only the hardiest and awesomest of pony can live.”

Twilight frowned. “Uh...that’s right…” Twilight flipped ahead through her book. “But I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.” She looked up. “How did you know?”

Dash flinched. “Um, well, why wouldn’t I? I’m always on the hunt on how to be more awesome, knowing about a place like Stalliongrad would definitely fall into that.”

Twilight frowned. “I suppose that makes sense… Sort of.” She tapped her chin. “What else do you know about Stalliongrad then?”

“Huh?”

Twilight closed her book.“Well, you’ve obviously read further than I have. Maybe you know more about it than I?”

Dash paused. She blinked a few times as she sorted her thoughts together. She flicked her hoof playfully at Twilight, and turned away with a forced grin. “Aw, c'mon, Twi. You're joshing me. There's no way I could know more than you. I bet you've read all about Stalliongrad.”

Twilight laughed. “Well no, not really. I actually haven’t gotten that far in my history research of Stalliongrad. Mostly because it is such a quiet society. There isn’t much material to read on them in my library even, which is what makes this trip all the more important. I’d love to know what you’ve heard.”

Dash scratched her head. “Well…” She shook her head. The train shook as the wheels squealed outside. Dash glanced out the window and saw twinkling lights in the distance that they were approaching.

The train whistle screeched, and the lively chatter from around the train began to quiet. Dash glanced to Twilight with a smirk. “Saved by the whistle, eh, Twilight?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I suppose so. We can look at the history book when we get it afterwards then. For now, we should concern ourselves with getting to our hotel. I’m not sure if I want to be outside in this chilly air.” She shuddered. “I’m surprised it’s so cold, even in the middle of summer.”

“It is further north, Twi.” Dash flicked her hoof at Twilight. “You get used to it.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes with a thin smile. “Says the pegasus.”

*****

Inside the station, Dash and Twilight found themselves in another customs line. Dash sighed, having resigned herself to the tedium many stops ago, but it did little to alleviate the boredom she felt at all the waiting.

She looked up at the sound of rustling pages. Twilight had her nose buried in a book, flipping quickly through the pages. Her eyes darted from page to page, and her lips were moving without words. Dash glanced at the cover. It was not in Equestrian.

“Twi? What’s that?”

Twilight jumped and looked at her. “Oh! This? It’s just a...um… phrasebook. I’m just reading up on the local language to refresh what I know.”

Dash blinked. “Wait, you don’t know Trotsky?”

“I know it!” Twilight said quickly. “I just didn’t get through it all. It’s a very complicated language.”

Dash smirked. “Oh really? You picked up Prancy and Germaneic pretty well. I figure something like Trotsky would be a piece of cake for you.”

Twilight huffed. “Well I had good teachers for that. I learned Germanic when I was still learning from Celestia. I taught myself most of it, and she helped with the rest. Then she taught me Itailic. Then I ran across other languages, like Prancy from Rarity. I was just… learning them in alphabetical order…”

“Well, you’re about to get your first chance to test your self teaching skills now, Twilight. Because we’re next in line.”

Dash pushed Twilight towards the front of the line. Twilight resisted, but Dash was much stronger, and was soon face to face with the inspector. He looked down from his booth with a stern glare, reaching out a hoof towards her, speaking in throaty Equestrian. “Papers, please.”

Twilight blinked a few times, before finally reaching in her bags and offering her passport to the attendant.

He snatched it up and laid it on the desk in front of him. He cast a glance briefly over the paperwork before he looked back at Twilight. “Duration of stay?”

“U-um, a few days,” Twilight stammered.

“Reason for visit?”

“Special delivery for the Imperial Palace, from Equestria.”

The inspector nodded and looked back to the passports. He flicked a pen over his paperwork with cold, dispassionate emotion, grunting with each scribble. Twilight watched him in silence, and Dash couldn’t help but snicker. Dash stepped up to Twilight and poked her. “Go ahead, Twi. Just get him to test you on something simple.”

Twilight nodded apprehensively. “Yes… r-right. Something simple.”

The inspector looked up from his paperwork with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Dash and Twilight. Twilight cleared her throat. “Um, excuse me sir?”

His eyes narrowed on Twilight, and he shifted his jaw. “Yes?”

“I was a bit concerned about my grasp of the language. I was wondering if it would be too much trouble to ask you something in Trotsky, just to see where I am in skill.”

His gaze drifted to the line behind them, and rolled it back. “As long as you make it fast. There are others waiting.”

“O-of course.” She brought up her phrasebook again and flipped to a page, and read a phrase aloud in a forced, stumbling tone.

The inspector blinked and quickly frowned. Twilight stared, swallowing a lump in the sudden silence. Dash on the other hoof, was busy suppressing her mind’s most immediate response. She brought a hoof to her mouth and bit down as a spasm of noise escaped her lips.

Twilight turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Twi,” Dash snickered. “What were you trying to say?”

She flipped through the book again. “I was only trying to ask where our hotel would be.”

Dash’s brain couldn't take anymore. She fell over onto her back and let out a peal of laughter as she rolled on the ground.

Twilight looked down at her and fumed. “Why are you laughing? Trotsky doesn’t sound funny at all. It is a very serious and noble language!”

“But...Twi!” Dash wheezed in between her laughs. “It’s not serious and noble when you insult his prized goat and his mother in the same sentence!”

Twilight blinked. “Wh-what?!”

Dash sat up briefly and pointed at the inspector. “That’s what you said!”

Twilight turned to him, who was nodding under his frown. She started stammering. “I-I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean—” She paused, and rounded on Dash. “Wait, how did you know what I said?”

Dash stopped laughing. She looked up at Twilight from the ground, who narrowed her eyes down at her. She groaned. “Well, shoot. I just busted myself, didn’t I? I was hoping to get more fun out of that.”

Dash picked herself off the ground and brushed her coat. She looked at the inspector with a smile. “Sorry about what she said. She didn’t mean anything by it, she just doesn’t grasp the subtleties of Trotsky.”

The inspector blinked again, but his frown only deepened. “It is not my place to care what you tourists know of our language. Take your bumbling friend and move along. My patience is at its end.” He lifted his hoof and pulled out a green stamp. He lined up both Dash’s and Twilight’s passports and pressed down firmly, which hit the desk with a resounding thunk! He slid the paperwork back with an impatient shove, and narrowed his eyes. “Cause no trouble.” He looked past Dash to the next pony behind her and shouted, “Next!”

Dash scoffed. “Whatever dude. No need to be rude about it.” She tried to move along, but bumped into Twilight, who was still staring at her. “Uh, Twi?”

Twilight’s eyes were twitching, her mouth hanging open and uttering a series of stammered responses. “You...Trotsky...speak...WHAT?!”

*****

“Since when do you know Trotsky?!” Twilight said, as she and Dash walked down the streets of St. Poniesburg. As Twilight had mentioned, there was brisk chill in the air as the sun was reaching the horizon. Dash let the wind pass through and ruffle her feathers. It was calming feeling, a familiar feeling.

The city had a quiet and gloomy appeal to it. The streets themselves seemed to be made from rock as dark as night, roughly cut and lain a strict and precise pattern. Like Spurrlin, everything was stone as far as the eye could see, and Dash trotted through like she was only here yesterday.

“Well…” Dash said. “It’s a long story.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m curious as to why I’ve never heard it before.”

Dash shrugged. “I dunno, I guess I’m not really chatty about my family all that much.” She glanced at Twilight. “Not that I was hiding anything. Just nopony ever asked.”

Twilight blinked. “I thought you were born in Cloudsdale.”

Dash chuckled. “I was. But my dad is originally from St. Poniesburg. He immigrated to Equestria a long time ago, chasing after my mom. She visited the country after she graduated and they met up somewhere. One thing led to another and…” She stuck out her tongue. “I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”

Twilight stared at Dash, amazed. “I can’t believe I never knew that about you, Dash. I’m so sorry I never bothered to ask.”

“It’s fine. Like I said, not really an exciting topic from my perspective. It’s just family to me. Fluttershy knows a bit, but I think it’s because her parents and mine were friends too.”

Dash pointed at the streets, and at the ponies that walked them. “I used to come here all the time when I was little, mostly to visit my grandparents.” She smiled. “Dad always told me stories of the settlers here. The earth ponies that history books say belonged to Chancellor Puddinghead were only half the story.”

They passed a monument in the street. It was a tall stone carving of an earth pony holding a spear, standing under an enormous dragon. Dash walked up to it and ran a hoof across the stonework. She shivered as she touched it, running the stony scales under her hooftips.

“This was dragon territory. The land was scorched with dragonfire spanning thousands of years. Earth ponies had an innate magic of the earth, so even they found ways to made the soil fertile again. They thrived here, and at first, it seemed like they could live without bothering each other, but not for long.

“The ponies that lived here would have died if they didn’t learn how to fight dragons. So they did, and they got good at it. Even for a pegasus back then, fighting a dragon was no joke, but for earth ponies to master the craft… it’s the stuff of legends. It was only natural that pegasi started herding here in droves to learn from the earth ponies.

“When Celestia showed up, she managed to stem the aggression somehow and finally get a sense of peace between ponies and dragons. When Stalliongrad finally settled into what it is today, it was a lot like Germane when you think about it. Except this time, it was ponies and dragons trying to share the land.”

Dash tapped the snout of the stone dragon. “Big dragons like this stay far to the north due to the treaties. Anytime they need to confer with the ponies, they do it through the wyverns; small dragons with actual brains."

She turned back to Twilight. Her awestruck expression had intensified, and looked like she was struggling to form even a single coherent thought. “And that was...a bedtime story?”

Dash smirked. “More or less.”

“That was almost a perfect retelling of the advanced history that I do know.”

Dash grinned and rubbed her neck. “Aheh, well. My dad always told a good story.” Her smiled faded as she glanced out over the street. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back, though, since my grandparents passed a few years ago.”

Twilight’s face fell. “Oh, Dash. I’m sorry.”

Dash flicked her hoof. “It’s fine. It just sucks that my life has gotten so busy that I haven’t been able to get back and see it again. So I’m glad that we were able to come here on this trip. It’s the best surprise ever.”

Twilight smiled. “Well, we have some time. I would love for you show me around your family’s native land.”

“Well then,” Dash said, smiling. “You’re in for a treat.”

*****

“This street brings back alot of memories.” Dash said, as she guided Twilight further into the city. With the approaching evening, the city appeared to be entering a calm. Storefronts were in the process of extinguishing their lanterns, and door chimes were ringing their final tune for the day as shopkeepers closed their doors.

“Dad used to take me here to see all the different shops,” she said. “Each trip I could pick anything I wanted.” Dash’s pace picked up as she approached a corner. “At first, I just picked a few souvenirs, but then I found something I couldn’t leave without having at least once.”

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“Only the best ice cream in the w—” Dash paused as she rounded the corner. She looked at the spot where she expected to see a brightly colored window against the black stone backdrop of St. Poniesburg. Instead, she saw a vacant building, with no paint or colors in sight.

“It’s gone…” Dash said with pain in her voice.

“What is?”

“Miss Ledyanoy’s Ice Cream Shop. It was the best ice cream in the whole world. Even in the middle of winter, you couldn’t help but have some.”

They approached the empty building. Dash pressed her nose to the glass, and felt a lifetimes worth of memories dancing in front of her. Her parents, her grandparents all meeting together in joy and happiness in this very spot. All that was left was a couple of overturned chairs, and years of dust and decay in the wood. To see it now caused Dash great pain.

“Why would they close it? This place was the best!”

“I don’t know, Dash, but it looks like it’s been closed down for some time.”

Dash sighed. She struggled to lift her head just to look down the street. “I guess there some other things we could go see.” Her ears twitched. She lifted her head and searched for a slowly rising sound just at the end of the block.

Twilight turned her head too at the new sound. “It sounds like something is going on down there.” She nudged Dash with a smile. “Let’s go see. It sounds exciting.”

Dash reluctantly shrugged her head. “Sure, I guess.”

They walked to the end of the street and were faced with an enormous crowd gathered in the road. Bright spotlights cut out the night’s darkness, and a long flowing red carpet stretched from an elegant building.

“Oh my!” Twilight said. “It looks like some kind of show is being put on. I wonder what kind it is?”

Dash tilted her head as she examined the building. A series of posters hung on a wall lit by sconces beside the entrance and herd of attendees. “I got an idea, Twi,” she said as she took to the air. “You wait here a sec, I’ll go see what the big deal is about.”

Twilight nodded, and Dash took off across the street. She hovered above the crowds and looked at the posters. Photos of ponies covered the wall, dressed in expensive looking outfits that Rarity would die to have in her shop.

Hmm, looks like a fashion show or someth— Her eyes fell on the final poster, and she nearly fell out of the air. It can’t be…

*****

Twilight stood watching the growing crowd, waiting patiently for Rainbow Dash to return. Ponies continued to pour in from all directions to stand in line, and Twilight too felt the excitement buzzing in the air. The attendees chatted amongst themselves in Trotsky, but it was in a tone Twilight never expected from the serious and sometimes harsh language. She could hear the joy and liveliness of the ponies, and she felt increasingly foolish to not have learned the language correctly.

I’ll have to get Dash to teach it to me, since she knows it so well, she thought. She blinked and laughed. Heehee! Dash teaching me a language. Who would have guessed?”

Twilight looked over to the wall where Dash had flown too, but she was nowhere to be seen. She frowned. Where did she go?

There was a rush of air that stopped just above her, bringing with it a wall of cold wind. She shivered suddenly and looked up, seeing Dash buzzing her wings just inches away. She was holding two pieces of paper tightly in her hooves, close to her chest, and had an excited grin on her face.

“Guess who just us got tickets for the Stalliongrad Ballet!”

Author's Note

You can probably tell I've been playing too much of Papers, Please.

Glory to Artstot-

I mean... Stalliongrad!

I was amused that people could sorta see where I was going with that Soviet Rainbow Dash meme just by mentioning Stalliongrad, but I hope I'm going in an interesting enough direction to keep it unique.

Chapter Twenty-One

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 21

Angels

Twilight was confused. No, confusion would mean a lack of understanding of the circumstances. She was in St. Poniesburg, there was no confusion there. Rainbow Dash was fluent in Trostky. That was jarring, but not completely implausible, considering her newly discovered family history. But, she also knew Rainbow Dash had a distinct dislike of things Twilight would consider high art or intellectual. So why in Equus would Rainbow Dash of all ponies be taking her to the Stalliongrad Ballet? Nevermind, then, she thought, confusion is a perfectly appropriate term.

Dash had a fondness of the country’s culture, perhaps it was from a familial sense of pride? Still, it was a performance of singing, dancing and fancy costumes. Twilight assumed that even Dash would find some reason to resist. She had been truthful, if blunt, about her lack of enjoyment of the art galleries of Prance, and Twilight had made a note to not accidentally subject her to more.

Regardless of all Twilight’s expectations, here Dash was of all ponies, leading her through the crowds of the theater towards their seats. She was grateful for her bright colors, or else navigating through the packed auditorium would have been impossible. She squeezed through the well dressed locals as they took their places, and Twilight found herself rushing what apologies she could as she tried to keep up with Dash in the aisles.

“Here we are, Twi,” Dash said. She stopped at a pair of seats in the middle of an aisle near the back of the room and sat down. Twilight eyed Dash and her seat cautiously.

Dash turned to her and frowned. “Something wrong, Twi?”

Twilight shook her head. “Um...no! Not at all.”

Dash patted the seat beside her. “Then sit down. The show’s about to start.”

Twilight blinked and slowly took her seat beside Dash. The lights of the room began to dim, followed by light applause drifting through the air. Twilight’s confusion grew as she heard Dash’s hooves joining in beside her.

The lights were nearly completely gone as the curtains began to climb and the applause faded. The humming of strings overtook the sounds of the crowd from the front of the theater as mist drifted from underneath the floor of the stage.

The rising curtain revealed a shimmering backdrop of painted glass and gems that brought fresh light to the room. Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard Dash’s chair squeak. She was leaning forward, resting her forelegs on the seat in front of her and propping up her chin. Her grin was growing.

The music was climbing in volume. It was a familiar song, one Twilight had heard years ago from her time in Canterlot. As the music became distinct against the echo of the hall, the curtains of the stage began to flutter aside. Earth ponies and unicorns began to prance into view, dancing spinning and twirling in perfect sync to the music.

Pegasi flew above them in formation, swinging around in the air. Each beat of the wings left sparkles in their wake as they dove to and fro above the stage. The unicorns below them snatched the glittering lights from the air in perfect timing, not interrupting their rhythm for a moment, and scattered them back with a burst of their magic which brought new life the the slivers of light.

Twilight’s eyes forced themselves shut as she began to blink. Her chest heaved suddenly as air chased down into her chest. She panted and shook her head and turned to the sound of Dash chuckling quietly beside her.

“They’re pretty amazing, aren’t they?” Dash whispered.

Twilight nodded, but said nothing.

“Well, don’t forget to breathe anymore, Twi. Cause they’re just getting started.”

*****

Twilight found herself having trouble staying balanced on the edge of her seat the longer the show went on. After the first few acts, she lost all awareness around her. Her attention was completely focused on the stage and the dancers.

Oh, dancers is hardly the appropriate term, she thought. They are artists of rhythm.

She was unable to look away from their hypnotic routines. The moments in between the acts were torturous as she waited impatiently for the show to resume. Those seconds drifted on for what seemed like hours as she tapped her hooves together to mimic the flow of time.

Something tapped her shoulder. “Are you okay, Twi?”

She spun her head to Dash, who reared back. “Okay? I’m better than okay. These dancers are amazing!”

Dash smirked. “I figured you would like it.”

Twilight shook her head and gathered her thoughts. “Why, though?”

Dash frowned. “Why what?”

“Why did you bring me here? I’m enjoying myself, yes, but I’m so confused as to why you wanted to do this. This is so unlike you, Dash.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “So I can’t enjoy the ballet, when it’s performers are required to have a high level of skill, speed, grace and agility to maintain their routines, much like a certain aeronautics team I’ve been trying to get into my entire life?”

Twilight blinked. “That’s… That makes sense, I suppose.”

Dash chuckled. “You suppose? I’ve been to these shows before when I was little. There’s plenty of reasons I enjoy it.”

The lights of the stage began to brighten again and the orchestra began to return to life. The curtains parted, revealing a single pegasus performer, balancing on a rope hanging down from the ceiling. Her mane flowed like a river of diamonds in the sky, almost alive like Celestia’s own mane. It wrapped around her ebon coat, and fluttered softly in the breeze caused by her gentle wing beats.

A tide of whispers and gasps rushed across the audience as the performer slid from the rope and drifted down. She hovered in the air, keeping herself afloat with the littlest of effort. Her movements her slow and fluid, deliberate and practiced, and each one captivating.

She was accompanied by her fellow dancers on the ground and in the air, all moving around her like water flowing around a stone in a roaring river. Her movements were silent commands to the group as a whole. It reminded Twilight of a time when she hid in the castle courtyard with her brother to watch the guardsponies train. Somehow, this one dancer controlled the moments of her kin without words, only movements. Twilight could only describe it as magical.

She touched down to the stage still standing on her hind legs. Her forelegs were lifted up around her head, her wings spread out. She towered over the earth ponies and unicorns on the ground with her. Her stature gave her an air of an intimidating individual, but her skill at dancing made her seem so fragile and delicate. She pranced across the stage on the tops of her hooves, using her wings for amazing leaps and bounds, her mane flowing behind her in a haze of twinkling lights.

Twilight could see the ripples in the audience shift their attention, rapt with her grace. She too felt it hard to look away. Her attention only broke when she felt herself being shaken.

“Twi?” Dash said.

Twilight shook her head. “Huh? Wha…?”

“The show’s over, Twi.”

Twilight’s heart gave a jump. “Wait, what? But it was just getting…” She looked to the stage, just as the curtain began to fall. The crowd started standing up and stomping its hooves in applause. Their cheers roared out across the room, and Twilight found herself lost in the moment. She glanced back at Dash, who was smirking.

“You kinda zoned out for a bit there, Twi. Almost twenty minutes.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. That will happen with her. She’s another good reason I come to the ballet”

“Who was she? I’ve seen dancers before in Canterlot, but she… I can’t even begin to describe it.”

Dash smiled. ”Well, she is the best dancer in the world. She’s been performing since I was little, and I’ve seen a lot of her shows before.”

Twilight sighed. “I would love to meet her. I’ve never been so entranced by dancing before.” Twilight had little time to protest as Dash snatched her by the hooves and began leading her out of the theater, before the crowd surrounding them did the same.

*****

Twilight followed Dash back out into the street’s of St. Poniesburg. Night had completely fallen, and the only light left were the twinkling stars above, and the candle lit lanterns lining the street.

“Dash, when I said I wanted to meet her, I was joking.”

Dash laughed. “Well, I’m not. You want to see her? So I’ll provide.”

Twilight snorted “Dash I highly doubt a renowned dancer of the Stalliongrad Ballet will have time for a couple of tourists. Even if we are well known.”

Dash scoffed. “Chillax, Twi. Just leave everything to me.”

Dash turned the corner into the alleys beside the theater. The exposed brick of the buildings gave a chill feeling to the air as Twilight stepped lightly into the darkened path. A steel door atop a stone staircase was the only feature, guarded by two gigantic stallions dressed in black.

Twilight froze. “U-um, Dash. I don’t think we’re supposed to be back here.”

Dash stopped and turned. “Relax, Twi. We don’t need to get any closer than we need to. We just need to sit and wait.”

And so they waited. Twilight could hear the sound of the crowd filing into the streets behind them. She turned to see them pass by the mouth of the alley, engrossed in excited conversation.

A groaning, metallic sound averted her attention to the steel door. Pairs of ponies exited the building, passing the guards with polite remarks. Many of them wore exquisite clothing and fluffy looking fur coats. Twilight frowned. “Since when do ponies wear furs?”

Dash laughed. “It’s something to do with the agreements with the dragons. Smaller ones have sharp claws good for skinning, so they skin most of their prey, and trade the pelts to ponies.” She shook her head. “It’s hardly something I would call “Fluttershy friendly,” but it’s how life is lived out here. It gets brutally cold in the winter. Even I would want a jacket or something in those times.”

A breeze blew through the alley, and Twilight drew herself as the cold overtook her. “I-I guess I can see that.” She snorted. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t have to like it.”

Dash smiled. “I’m not asking you to.”

Ponies continued to leave the theater. Some trotted past Dash and Twilight, others went deeper into the alley and vanished out the other side. Twilight started tapping her hooves on the ground as the sound of the audience had finally dispersed. The street behind her was nearly empty.

“I think we’ve stayed long enough, Dash. Maybe we should go?”

At that moment, the door swung open again. Much like the dance itself, the lead performer seemed to glide through the doors. She was bundled in a light coat and a white fur hat. Her eyes were trained forward in a stern, emotionless gaze as she strode down the stairs, and the guards bowed their heads low as she passed.

Twilight watched her as she descended, frozen still. The dancer turned away and began to trot slowly away down the alley. Dash, on the other hoof, charged forward. The guards turned their attention to her, and moved towards her.

“Dash!” Twilight said. “What are you doing!?”

Dash didn’t turn around. Instead, she started shouting in Trotsky. “Tetya!Tetya!!”

The dancer stopped and turned her head. Her eyes widened. “Prizma?” The guards nearly made it to Dash when the dancer shook her head and shouted. “Niet!” Her voice flew through the alley like a razor wind, halting the guards in their tracks. They turned to her and nodded, and slowly returned to their posts.

Twilight stood frozen as the pegasus approached Dash and stopped in front of her. A thousand thoughts went through her mind, most of them coinciding with how much trouble are we in? or how far can I teleport us away?

All of this planning fell apart the moment the dancer starting hugging Dash. The two of them started laughing and giggling, only further adding to Twilight’s confusion.

Dash finally broke away and beckoned Twilight over. “Twi, c’mere! I wanna introduce you to my auntie Aurora!”

Author's Note

Sorry for the fluff chapter, but I really wanted to try a chapter from Twilight's perspective for this part, and I felt skipping this scene would break the general flow of this arc. I made it as short as possible so it won't detract too much time, but if that's not good enough, I have better news. From here on out, chapter updates will be weekly instead of bi-weekly. Onward to the end!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 22

Galaxies

“Your show was so amazing, Auntie,” Dash said.

“Bah,” Aurora said with a toss of her head. “My performance was perfect as always, but once again there were mistakes elsewhere.” To no surprise on Dash’s part, her aunt had a perfect grasp of Equestrian, which she was grateful for. The last thing she would have wanted is for Twilight to feel left out.

“They were all so wonderful,” Twilight said. “I’ve seen so many ballet recitals in Canterlot before, but this… this was amazing.”

Aurora smiled. “You are kind for saying that, dear. I work hard to keep everypony in line. It is no trifling role to be in charge of an entire production as well as the lead performer.”

“That must be so much work! Managing all those different ponies and dancer moves, while being in the dance as well.”

Aurora winked. “I’ve had decades of practice.”

Dash chuckled. With the dance hall behind them, Dash was pleased that her aunt insisted on putting her and Twilight up for their stay in Stalliongrad. They followed her through deeper into the city as the evening calm had taken full effect. A gentle wind blew through Dash’s mane, bringing with it a host of wonderful memories of her time with family many years ago.

“So, Auntie, where do you live these days? I haven’t been back to the homeland in forever.”

Aurora smiled. “Why, I live in the same place I always have, dear, just at the end of the block.”

Dash frowned. “That old horseshoe box? But it’s so tiny!” She winced. “No offence, Auntie, but that place isn’t very roomy.”

Aurora barked out a strong laugh, and even Dash backed away at the sound. “I couldn’t agree more, my dear. But our family lived in that apartment for many many years, even when I was a child.” She smiled fondly. “Far too many happy memories occurred there to just discard such a treasured home.”

“I guess…”

They trotted up to a brick building. The stones themselves gave off a bronze shimmer in the light of the street lamps. A glass pane doorway was the only feature on the front, guarded by a tall stallion in a black cap and coat. Dash frowned. “Uh, Auntie?”

“Yes, my little Prizma?”

“Since when was there a doorpony out front?”

Aurora grinned. “Since I purchased the building and moved into the penthouse, of course.”

Dash blinked as her mouth fell open. Aurora laughed, more daintily this time, as she tapped Dash’s mouth closed with a tap of her hoof. “You cannot possibly think somepony such as I would live in such a horseshoe box forever, did you? I’ve owned the building for a while. I left the old home vacant except for some family visits, but you will stay with me in the master suite.” Aurora reached out and hugged Dash closer. “Nothing but the best for my little Prizma!”

Dash felt heated as she tried to back out of her Aunt’s grasp. “C’mon, Auntie, you’re embarrassing me in front of my f-friend.”

Twilight laughed. “I won’t say a word to anypony, Dash. You’re free to express emotion to those you care about.”

Dash blinked as her blush deepened and she began to stammer. Aurora cleared her throat and released her, and waved to the doorpony. He nodded his head and opened the door for them to pass. They escaped the cold into the lobby as Aurora lead them to an elevator on the far side.

The door shut and began their ascent, and Aurora cleared her throat again. “So, Prizma, how long have you two known each other?”

Dash’s throat tightened. “Um…”

“About two years now,” Twilight said. “We met at the Summer Sun Celebration when I first moved to Ponyville.”

Aurora nodded. “Ah, you still live there, do you? Do you still visit your father regularly?”

Dash shrugged her head. “Of course, Auntie.”

Aurora turned to Twilight. “Have you met my brother, dear?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I can’t say I have.” She tilted her head. “Or her mother for that matter.” She glanced at Dash with a smile. “Maybe we can visit them some time, Dash. We’ve been spending so much more time together lately, I’d love to meet your parents.”

Dash blinked, and stared at Aurora. What is she doing?

Aurora chuckled. “Perhaps.. My brother is nothing if not an entertaining character. I mean, who else abandons his homeland to chase after some tourist out of flight school, leaving his young, only sister to care for their ailing parents?”

“Auntie!” Dash exclaimed.

Aurora laughed. “I’m joking, dear. You know I love him and your mother dearly. She was a good thing for him, clearing the clouds out of his head. Plus, they gave me a wonderful niece I could spoil rotten.”

Dash shifted her eyes and chuckled. “Aheh, yeah…”

The elevator dinged, and the door swung open. Aurora stepped out into a solitary hallway, with only one door at the end. Dash and Twilight followed her to the door as she opened it and entered. Dash froze at the entryway and gasped.

The interior of the room was massive. The walls glowed from golden candlesticks that adorned the entire flat. The doorway opened directly into the kitchen, made of granite. An adjoining dining area was laced with silver and gemstones on a darkwood table. On the far side was a living area with giant, plush seats overlooking the veranda.

“Auntie…” Dash breathed. “You live here?”

Aurora smiled. “Like I said, nothing but the best for my little Prizma. Come! Sit! Make yourselves at home!”

Aurora tossed her coat and hat on a nearby rack, and trotted directly to the kitchen, as Dash and Twilight slowly filed into the room, turning their heads this way and that, examining the majesty of the room. They eventually made it over to the table and sat down.

“This is almost as luxurious as Celestia’s bedroom!” Twilight said.

Dash raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know that?”

Twilight blinked as her face turned red. “U-um. We had a lot of late night study session when I was still living in Canterlot.”

“Ah!” Aurora said. “That’s the name I was trying to place. Twilight Sparkle.” She glanced at Dash with a flat look. “You were going to tell me you knew Princess Celestia’s confindante, when, my dear prizma?”

“I was getting to it!” Dash said. “I didn’t feel like blabbing it all over the place, and Twilight doesn’t really like the attention.” She blinked. “Uh, right, Twi?”

Twilight tilted her head and nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose I don’t. I appreciate it, Dash.”

Dash sighed in relief. Aurora shook her head and went to her icebox. She swung the top compartment open, and cursed as she did. “Bah! I still thought I had some.”

“Some what?” Dash asked.

“Some icecream from Ledyanoy’s. I know it’s your favorite.”

Dash sat up at the table and leaned forward. “Ledyanoy’s!? You mean they’re still around?”

“Of course. They moved their shop further into the city where the tourist hotels are in order to build their business. It has been doing very well, especially when I endorse them so.”

Dash started to stare. “I thought they closed…” She stood from the table and started for the door. “We gotta go get some!”

Aurora grabbed her. For a moment, she caught a glare in her aunt’s eyes, that faded instantly into a smile. “I have a better idea.” She turned to Twilight. “Twilight, darling. Would you be so kind as to venture out and fetch us some? I assure you the route is simple.”

Twilight tilted her head. “I’m sorry, but why me?”

Dash frowned. Yeah, why just her? She yelped as Aurora wrapped her hoof around her neck and pulled her in close.

“Because I have not seen my precious Prizma so many years, and I would love to catch up, and with your limited time to stay, this might be the best opportunity.”

Realization flashed on Twilight’s face. “Oh! Well, that makes sense. In that case, I'd love to give you two some time to catch up.”

Dash shrugged. “Uh, yeah. I guess it does.” She shook her head. “But Twilight doesn’t know Trotsky.”

“Ah, it is no issue. The Ledyanoy’s know perfect Equestrian. The necessities of working a growing international market.” Aurora’s smile deepened. She trotted over to her coat rack and retrieved her clothing. “I insist you wear this, as it will only be getting colder.” She threw the coat and hat onto Twilight and began pushing her towards the door. “Now darling, just tell Ledyanoy the ‘Midnight Dancer’ sent you, and you can get anything you wish!”

“Um, ok,” Twilight stammered as Aurora pushed her. “But where is it?”

“As you leave the lobby, just turn right, it’s only a few blocks in that direction, you can’t miss it.”

“And what flavor I should get?”

“Polkadot Periwinkle! It’s Prizma’s favorite!”

“Oh, okay.” She glanced at Dash with a smile. “I’ll be right back then!”

“Ta-ta!” Aurora said, and closed the door. Dash could have sworn that as she did, the air in the room became much, much colder. Aurora slowly turned around and stared at Dash through narrow, angered eyes. “Now,” she said, in Trotsky. “When were you planning on telling me you were involved with Princess Celestia’s student?”

Dash’s ears wilted. “Wh-what?” She swallowed. “We aren’t together!”

“Do not lie to me, Prizma. If you learned to lie from your father, you will stand no chance against me. I’ve been dealing with it a lot longer than you.” She motioned towards the table. “Sit. Explain.”

Dash glanced at the table, then back to Aurora. She sighed, dropped her head, and nodded. “It’s kind of a long story.”

Dash was surprised that Aurora managed to chuckle. “I am from Stalliongrad, my dear Prizma. I love long stories.”

*****

Dash explained the events in Buckingham, with the Duke and his prejudice against pegasi, and Aurora listened. She detailed the theatrics of Cheval, and the lonely queen seeking friends through unorthodox means, and Aurora listened. She told the tale of Antlerdam, and Twilight’s foray into the world of clubs, dancing and their consequences, and Aurora listened. She recalled the day in Spurrlin, and the revelation of an old friend, and Aurora listened.

“And then,” Dash said. “We ended up here…”

Aurora sat, her hooves pursed together on the table. Her eyes were closed, but Dash could see them turning in thought. Dash reared back when she opened them suddenly.

“So…” Aurora said, tapping her hooves together. “I would like to know when the part where my fearless and rambunctious niece became a sniveling, spineless coward enters this story.”

Dash sputtered. “What?! I am not a coward!”

Aurora snapped a sharp, sudden chortle. “If that were true, you would have admitted your feelings for that girl on day one. Not danced around the subject for weeks. This is not the behavior of that beautiful little tomcolt niece I have adored for so long for her passion, determination and fearlessness. This is the attitude of a snotnosed little whelp that has forgotten her lines in a Hearths Warming Pageant.”

Dash trembled. She remembered a bit too vividly that her Aunt was indeed capable of saying such harsh things, but she had never been on the receiving end of it. She always hid behind closed doors when Aurora would voice her many, many disapprovals, either to her dad, or anypony else in her family when she was angry. And as loving as she could be, she was angry a lot.

“B-but, Auntie—”

“No buts, Prizma. I thought your father raised you better than this. To be true to your convictions, and not be buried in doubt. I see that he has gotten soft indeed. I suppose I should fault your mother for that.”

Dash frowned. “Now wait a minute. Don’t you dare—”

Aurora lifted a hoof to silence her. “I dare what I wish. You are in my home, Prizma, and will abide by my rules. I love your mother like any sister-in-law would. She is as every bit a Stalliongrad pony in all but true blood, but she still has that Equestrian softness that I do not care for.”

Dash sighed. She slumped onto the table, crossed her legs together, and buried her head. “What do I do, Auntie? I’m so lost. I just… don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve been hiding from it for so long like an idiot, and—”

“I said coward, not idiot.”

Dash lifted her head and frowned at her.

Aurora shook her head. “You are not an idiot, dear. It is clear you have feelings for her, but you are fearful of the consequences.” She leaned back and crossed her hooves. “But I am not entirely convinced you feel for her as much as you say, or else you would have done something by now. I see no proof.”

Dash glared. She stood from her chair and went into her bags. “Proof? I’ll give you proof that I love her.” She rummaged through her things, digging under the many books she had until she reached the bottom. There, hidden away, was a small wooden box, no bigger than a horseshoe. She took it out and placed it on the table.

Aurora leaned to take the box and opened it. Her eyes narrowed, and a tiny smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She spun the box, letting Dash see. A single, tiny blue feather sat in the velvet lined case. It glistened under the lights from a carefully made finish that Dash herself prepared and applied to it many years ago. “I remember when you molted this. You were here, in the homeland, just a tiny little thing. I remember teaching you the recipe for the laquer. I’m surprised you still remembered it.”

Dash ducked her head. “It’s not something you forget.”

Aurora slammed the case shut. “Then why haven’t you given it to her yet!?”

Dash cried out in pain and reached out for the box. She opened it, and examined the tiny feather, her feather. She glared at Aurora. “You could have damaged it!”

“You don’t ‘damage’ that laquer. It is perfectly fine. You have not answered my question.”

Dash sighed. The feather was fine. She shut the box and returned it to her bag, and met eyes with Aurora once again. “I just… haven’t found the best time.”

“It sounds to me you have had plenty of time. Several weeks worth, with just the two of you. None of your other friends to make it awkward. Nights alone in hotels and trains. So many opportunities to say the easiest three words in the Equestrian language.”

“But so many things could go wrong. What if she said no? What if she sent me away? What if—”

Aurora shook her head. “No what if’s. There are no what if’s in love. There are only why and why not’s. Why do you love her?”

Dash wrapped her forelegs around herself and winced. “I...guess I like how she’s so smart. She always knows the answer to something. She’s really good at magic. She’s like me in a lot of ways, trying to be the best at something, but she’s so modest about it. I like the way her mane looks when the wind is blowing through it. And…” She sighed. “I love the way she appreciates the sky like I do. She looks at it and just sees it as so much more than just blue and white. But most of all…” Dash shuddered and glanced towards the window. “I love her smile. I just… there’s no words for how much I love that smile. It makes me feel happy and sad at the same time. It makes me feel like I’m home, and nothing else can ever replace that feeling.”

Aurora’s ear twitched and she looked away. After a moment, she shook her head and looked back at Dash. “Then why can you not tell her that?”

Dash beat her hoof against the table with three light taps. “I just—I can’t—” She collapsed on the table again. “I just don’t know. You’re right, Auntie. I’m just a big chicken, afraid to lose everything and everypony that’s important to me.” Dash twisted her head in the space between her legs, burying herself deeper, and let out a sigh of longing.

“Have you ever just said it?”

“Said what?”

“Said that you love her. Not to her face, but out loud to yourself.”

“I… guess I said it once, in my head in Antlerdam.”

Aurora shook her head. “That will not do. Your must say it out loud. Let the words dance across your lips into the true world and let your heart shine.”

Dash blushed. “B-but, Auntie. That’s embarrassing.”

Aurora laughed. “No, my dear. Falling on your head after performing a pirouette is embarrassing. Love is never embarrassing.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now say it.”

“N-now?”

Aurora nodded. “Now.”

Dash gulped in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. “I love Twilight.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Louder than that, my dear. You must sing your love to the heavens."

“I love Twilight!”

“Better, but you must say it like she were here with you now. Imagine that your love is with you as you admit it.”

Dash hesitated a moment, but forced it out. “I love you, Twilight!”

Aurora clapped her hooves together. “Much better, but now, speak it in the language that you both share! It does no good to admit it when she cannot understand it.”

Dash felt new life pouring into her. All her doubts and fears were lifting off of her shoulders. She nodded at Aurora with a smile. “I love you, Twilight!”

Dash let out a long, ragged breath and slumped back into her chair. She stared at the ceiling, her mind worn. “Thanks, Auntie. That… that actually feels better.”

Aurora didn’t reply. Dash sat up, and saw that she wasn’t looking at her, but past her with a blank face. Something hit the ground with a thud behind her, and Dash felt her heart drop with it. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned around. There, at the door, was Twilight, standing over a melting tub of icecream on the floor.

She was blinking rapidly, her face cycling through many different expressions: confusion, fear, horror. Her ears had folded back against her head, and her lips trembled as she struggled to speak.

“Twilight…” Dash breathed. “I didn’t… I mean… I...I…”

Twilight swallowed. “I… heard shouting, so I just came in… and I heard you saying my name and… and…” Twilight stepped back.

Dash stood from her chair. “I can explain, Twi. Just…” She walked towards Twilight with an outstretched leg.

Twilight kept backing away. “I...I… I have to go!” Her horn flared to life, filling the room with a blinding purple flash. When it faded, Twilight was gone.

Dash held her hoof out, frozen as her mind struggled to process what had just happened. A single tear forced it’s way down her cheek as she broke down and collapsed to the ground. “Not like this…”

Author's Note

Did anyone catch the Paulie reference? Please tell me someone caught the Paulie reference.

...Oh! I mean.... Dash no...

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 23

I’m Coming After You

Dash lost track of how long she was on the floor. She tried as hard as she could to contain herself, resorting to a few choked sniffles, rubbing away the tears as they tried to fight their way out. But as she fought, she felt herself losing an uphill battle. Slowly, her barriers fell and she began to pour her emotions on the apartment floor.

Her body shuddered as she heaved through her scattered thoughts. Twilight now knew her true feelings in the worst way possible. There was always the curtain of doubt in Dash’s mind of whether or not Twilight had ever noticed her feelings, despite her awful attempts to show them. She had no real plan, but she never expected to just blurt it out in front of her. Now, Twilight was gone, probably running as far away as she could, just to be as far away from her as possible.

She wiped her hoof across her nose, which felt raw and soggy at her touch. Her thoughts were mired in guilt, guilt of causing Twilight to run, when she could have avoided everything if she hadn’t been such a coward about her feelings. Just the thought alone at her being the cause of Twilight’s disappearance brought fresh tears to her eyes and she collapsed again into her hooves on the floor.

Dash felt a hoof on her head. She struggled to bring her gaze up to face her aunt, who was standing over her. Aurora was patting her gently on the head, cooing soft sounds of comfort in a calm, infantile way she had once done, long ago, when Dash was much, much younger. Despite the comfort Dash yearned from the contact, she could only help but glare at Aurora, slap her hoof away, and bury her head into her legs again. “Go away, Auntie! You ruined everything!”

For a moment, Aurora said nothing. She simply returned to stroking Dash’s mane. “I ruined nothing, Prizma. I merely freed you from your fears.”

Dash couldn’t bring up the strength to push Aurora away again, so she just buried herself further. “You goaded me into saying it out loud right in front of her! Now she knows, and she probably hates me.”

“Well of course I did. How else was I going to get you to admit it to her?”

Dash’s head shot up. “You knew she was standing there?!”

Aurora nodded. “I heard the elevator arrive. I saw an opportunity to help you, and I took it.”

Dash sprang to her hooves. “You tricked me!” she screamed. “You made me admit my feelings to her in the worse possible way. I didn’t have time to explain it to her or anything. Now she’s gone, out there in the city, or halfway across the country, all alone because of you!”

Dash’s legs trembled, and the feeling of weakness creeped down her body. She rocked on the tips of her hooves, swaying in a state between rage and despair as she stared her aunt down.

Aurora just shook her head. “If you think shouting at me is going to improve your situation, then I will not stop you.”

Dash scoffed and tried to look away, but Aurora placed her hoof on Dash’s chin and forced her gaze into her own. “But, there is a scared little mare out there, who is confused, and most likely lost in the cold, who needs you now more than ever. So, you can sit here and lament like the child you are showing me to be, or you can go out there and prove everything you have told me about her, and be the mare I know you are.”

Dash wanted to scream, but swallowed the feeling. She wanted to cry, but pushed it down. She wanted to disappear, but her pride wouldn’t have it. “What do I do, Auntie? How can I bring myself to face her after this?”

Aurora shrugged. “You worry about trivialities, Prizma. You need to worry about her well being first, and the state of her heart second. Now is not the time to fear her presence because you cannot face her reaction.”

Aurora turned and walked over to the door to the balcony. “First, simply focus on bringing her home to safety.” Aurora’s demeanor shifted as she stared out the window. Her eyes narrowed into a scornful gaze. “Especially tonight.”

Dash went to the window as well, and followed Aurora’s gaze to the darkened horizon of the night. “What’s wrong about tonight?”

The sky answered instead of Aurora. A low, trembling growl seemed to rage across the sky, emanating far in the distance. It was a long, painful bellow that rattled the glass of the windows as it raced through the city. Dash could feel an icy chill pierce through the glass from the wind alone, and felt a fearful memory race through her mind.

“The rainy season?” Dash exclaimed, “That starts tonight?!”

Aurora nodded. “The harvests last season were less than satisfactory, so the ministry of weather has decided to improve the rainfall to help crops this year so we aren’t at risk of running out of food during the winter.”

Dash tensed. “B-but, the rainy season is awful here! It rains for days, and its so cold at night and—” She placed a hoof on the glass. “Twilight is out there…”

Aurora fiddled with the latch and swing the window open. “Then you best stop wasting time and go find her.”

Dash looked over the darkened city canopy. Despite the evening darkness, she could make out rows of chimneys pumping out gouts of towering black smoke into the sky. She sighed. “I don’t even know where to look! She could be anywhere! Sure I know the city, but that won't help me if I don’t know where she is!”

Aurora closed her eyes. “I do not know what to tell you, Prizma. She could not have gotten far, but in her current state, who knows how far? All I can say is follow your heart. It will help you from going astray.”

Dash blinked. “Follow my heart? How is that supposed to—” Dash paused. She gasped, reaching for the amulet that hung from her neck. It gave off a faint amethyst glow, which dwindled with every passing moment. Dash stared at the gem for a moment, as a smile slowly spread across her face. She squealed in delight, and wrapped her hooves around Aurora. “Auntie! You’re a genius!”

Aurora sputtered at Dash’s sudden hug, but before she could utter a reply, Dash just as quickly let go, and dove from the balcony. Her wings spread wide, and she pumped them with all her might. “Hang on, Twilight! I’m coming!”

*****

Dash had long forgotten the feeling of the Stalliongrad air in her wings, and welcomed the bristling chill as she soared over the city. She held Twilight’s scrying amulet in an outstretched hoof, glancing at it every few seconds. The glowing light it gave off shifted constantly as she moved, brightening or darkening with each block she flew over. She twisted her direction in tandem, searching for a steady rhythm between her speed and her direction

She twisted again, grunting as the gem’s light started to fade. Darnit, Twi. Where are you? She tilted her wings upward, steering into a tight loop that brought her to a hover over a intersection below. She scanned the neighborhood, using the streetlights to see.

The amulet hummed quietly as it’s pulsing glow shifted again. It held a steady rhythm, but it was only a matter of time before it would change again. Dash held it out, and spun in the air, trying to detect which direction had the strongest pull. This is already so far from Auntie's place. I knew Twi was getting better at teleporting, but this is unreal.

Dash scowled at the alleys and lanes below her. They crossed and zigzagged in every direction into a spiderweb of stone and wood. The black smoke from the smokestacks weren’t helping either as they blotted out much of the land below her. The streetlamps were bright, but so openly spaced that the did not give much sense of direction.

She looked up. What little stars that were visible offered even less light of their own. The rest were being rapidly blanketed out of sight thanks to the rumbling mass of clouds being pushed in from all directions. They were swirling in predictable patterns, much like her days of training had taught her at work. The ministry of weather of Stalliongrad were one of the best in the world, almost militaristic in their approach to handling the weather. It wouldn't be long until the storm cloud was over the key areas of the city, and began drenching the dry plains surrounding it.

More rumbles dredged across the sky, followed by bursts of wind that caused Dash to wobble in the air. She quickened her wing beats to stay afloat, and spun back to the city below, amulet in hoof. I’m running out of time. I gotta hurry and find her.

She took off again, following the amulet’s light. It’s brightness steadied, and Dash allowed herself a small smile that she might finally be on track. She tilted forward to get lower to the streets, and began shouting. “Twilight! Where are you!?”

The only reply from below was the hissing of startled cats, and the incessant yapping of annoying dogs. Dash grunted, but continued her calls. “Twilight! I’m sorry! Please let me explain!”

Under the rhythm of her wings beating against the sky, and the constant rumbling of the storm clouds, Dash’s ears perked to a new sound. She jerked her wings up and steered into a hard turn towards the sound. She slowed her wings, and felt out her hearing to the streets below.

There was a distant echo, only a few blocks away. It was a fast, stony sound that rattled across the narrow alleys all the way to Dash’s ears. There was no mistaking the sound of galloping hooves, and Dash took off again towards it. The light of the amulet began to shine even brighter as she approached, and she felt a surge of joy rush through her body. “Twilight! Please stop running! I only want to talk!”

The noise ceased, and Dash slowed to a quiet hover. There was a small alley below her, mired in darkness. She descended slowly, listening. “Twilight…” she said in a lowered voice. “I just want to talk. Please talk to me. I can explain. Just… give me a chance. I know you can hear me. I know you’re there.”

Dash’s ears perked at a small tinkling sound behind her. She spun around, and as she did, there was a flash of purple light behind a building. She dove for the source and rounded the corner, screeching against the rough ground to bleed off her speed.

“Twilight! I’m so sorry! I just—” But nopony was there. Another empty alley, with no sign of Twilight anywhere. Dash shrugged her head. “Am I just losing it? Or—” She took a step into the alley, and felt something crunch under her hooves. She lifted her hoof and shook it, and looked to see what she stepped on. A small piece of glass, no, crystal in a small metal fitting. Once whole, it might have been in the shape of a spade, or perhaps, a heart. Dash’s felt her own heart plummet into her stomach as she stared at the broken gemstone on the cold ground. Her despair gripped her harder as she noticed that her own necklace had gone dark, and was now just a cold piece of jewelry hanging from her neck.

A flash of light blazed across the darkness, followed by a thunderous clap that rumbled from above and roared into the distance. A pattering sound approached slowly from the street and rushed towards Dash, as a torrent of water fell from the heavens above.

None of it mattered to her. She just sat and stared at the broken heart on the ground as the water assaulted her. Her fur went wet and cold, but the feeling was hardly comparable to the dying warmth in her chest. Her love, much like her tears, were now lost in the rains of Stalliongrad.

*****

Dash trudged along the street in a haze. She hung her head low, and her wings were limp from the cold and the rain that pelted her. Her body felt heavy, her mind was frozen, and her heart felt divided in her chest, much like Twilight’s broken amulet. Now, with her only chance of finding Twilight gone, Rainbow Dash’s options dwindled to nothing.

That’s it, I guess, she thought. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. She struggled to bring her eyes to the path ahead of her. Dozens of puddles formed in the crags of the road, splashing torrents of water with each drop. There were, not to Dash’s surprise, a few ponies still wandering the street. They wore heavy jackets and hurried along, trying to get out of the rain. Some of them shoved past Dash without so much as an apology or word of concern that she wasn’t wearing a thing in the horrid weather.

I guess I should just get back to auntie.

Her eyes drifted over a small puddle at her hooves. Her face rippled in the reflection cast by a lone lamp in the street, showing the sadness in her eyes. But, as the rain continued, the visage of her reflection began to shift into anger. You aren’t just going to leave her out here in this are you? her reflection chided.

What’s the point? She obviously wants nothing to do with me. She’d rather destroy my one chance of finding her and stay away. I don’t deserve to be with her.

Her reflection scowled. It brought up its hoof and bonked itself in the head. Dash felt a twinge of pain, as a sharp headache set into her skull. Now that’s a bit pessimistic, even for my tastes. And yes, you know what that means.

Dash scoffed and looked away. Like it matters. It’s still true.

Do you have any idea how pathetic you sound right now? What happened to you? You used to let nothing get you down, but something mushy like a crush turns you to a mule.

Dash spun her head back to the reflection. Will you shut up? The last thing I need is to argue with my own conscience.

The reflection shook its head. You think I’m just your conscience? I’ve been trying to help you this whole time, and all you’ve done is turn me away. I’m the part of you that you’ve been hiding from. Your courage, your drive, your passion. Ever since you started having feelings for Twilight, you’ve been forgetting all about me.

Dash said nothing. The reflection nodded.

Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Pushing me away won’t help you.

What can help me, then? Twilight’s gone! She’s taken away the only way I could use to find her! This city is huge! She could be anywhere!

The reflection smirked, and brought up it’s wings into view. For a pony that could get from Ponyville to Las Pegasus and back again in less than a day, that shouldn’t be a problem.

What, so you want me to just fly around randomly? In this weather? Even you know that’s insane!

Doing crazy things never stopped you before. Especially when your friends are in danger.

Dash’s heart skipped, and the reflection’s smile softened. Twilight is out there. Forget what happened back at auntie's. Forget that you love her. What I want you to remember is that she is still your friend. What does that mean to you?

I…I... Dash looked up into the sky. The rain splashed her face and ran down, dropping into the puddle. She could hear the wind, the water, the storm whirling, blowing, raging all around her in the sky. She looked back at her reflection. It was once again her own, and followed her lead. “I… I never leave my friends hanging. Because I’m Rainbow Dash. That’s what I do, that’s who I am!”

Now you’re getting it, her mind echoed. Now go get her. Bring her home. And do it fast. The echo chuckled. You know how to do that, right?

Dash nodded, and gazed into the sky. Her wings sprung open with new life, and she tore away from the ground in a single thrust. The wind and rain pelted against her immediately, but she ignored it, pumping harder, harder than she had in her entire life. Any time her resolve even though of fading, all she needed was to to picture Twilight in her mind, and her strength trickled back with each pump of her wings.

She climbed higher and higher banking with the wings in the rain, cutting through the currents with years of practice, and generations of instinct. She grit her teeth as the droplets struck her eyes, blinking away the pain and continued to climb, up into the darkness of the storm.

She reached the cloud cover, and charged through. Her coat was heavy with water, her legs freezing from the cold winds, but it didn’t stop her. When she finally rose to the other side, she kept going, up and up. Only when she felt the sting of ice forming and the air in her lungs thinning did she slow her ascent.

She stopped, hovering in the air. The stars were once again visible, casting a faint glow in over the clouds below. Dash felt her heart pounding and chest heaving as she waited, and watched. She swallowed a mouthful of cool clear air, and let it rush through her body. As one final act, she closed her eyes, and pictured Twilight in the front of her mind. The memories of Twilight during their various adventures back home, and the one they shared in the past weeks was all the inspiration Dash needed to focus her mind. With Twilight in mind, she glanced down at the cloud cover, and after a still moment, leaned forward into a dive.

The chilly air stung as the air friction pushed against her. The wind raged in her ears as she dropped towards the clouds. Her body shuddered in protest as she began to beat her wings furiously. She fell faster and faster. The tips of her wings reached as far as they could with each beat, her senses on edge. She could feel the twisting of the wind, the whirling of the currents working against her through her wings, and she twisted her descent and spun into them, increasing her speed.

She reached the cloud cover in moments. She pressed her hooves together and straightened her body as much as she could. For a brief moment, she snapped her wings shut against her sides as she speared through the darkened sludge of moisture.

The second she broke through, she could feel herself crashing into the droplets of water. Each collision stung all over her, but still she ignored the pain. She opened her wings again, feeling the pressure of the winds squeezing at her legs. The wind began to ripple at her hooves, and she saw the force of her descent form the barrier in front of her.

The city was fast approaching, but she continued to accelerate. The dots of streetlamps across the city grew in her vision. A twinge of worry picked at the back of her mind, but she shoved it down by bringing the image of Twilight back. Her eyes stung, and she couldn't be certain if she was crying from the pain that wracked her body, or for Twilight.

A gasp escaped her mouth. The world around her, for the briefest moment, went completely still. The air was quiet, the rain fell around her, not into her, and the silence was overwhelming. A chill raced across Dash’s body as she felt the tension break, and the sky shattered in front of her.

The prism of colors exploded in all directions, cutting out the darkness of night. A wake of force followed behind, carrying the rain, the wind, and everything else with it far away from Dash. It climbed into the sky, scattering the clouds away from the city. The rain nearly stopped, reduced to a faint trickle as the clouds supplying it were pushed far into the countryside surrounding the city.

Dash allowed a breath of air as she twisted her wings up, and soared above the rooftops. She aimed towards where she saw Twilight’s light, and flew in a circle that widened with every revolution. She glanced behind her, smiling at the rainbow colored contrail that followed her, bringing even more light to the sky. She looked back down, searching.

She passed dozens of alleys, streets and homes in her tremendous speed. She passed many of them more than once, from countless angles. Twilight was out there somewhere, and no matter how many times she teleported, Dash would catch up to her. She knew she could. She knew she would. She knew she had to. She couldn’t accept anything less.

Her wake widened over the city. The longer she flew, the longer the trail of light lingered in the air, cutting out the shadows below. She figured somepony would be along eventually to investigate at her disruption in the middle of the night, but she didn’t care.

She felt a surge of elation surged through her, and there was a growing joy she felt in her chest. As she flew, though, she noticed a second, warming sensation also pressing against her. She looked down, and saw that her necklace was glowing again. Dash felt her chest heave suddenly as she twisted her wings into a braking maneuver. The winds screamed at her as she tried to slow down.

After a series of loops and hard turns, she bled off enough speed to come to a hover in the air. She snatched her necklace in her hooves. It was warm in her grasp, and gave off a steady glow. Dash felt her heart racing as she looked around. I don’t understand… She broke the other one…

Dash’s ears twitched at a sound from below. A small park clearing was etched in between the buildings, one she remembered visiting when she was young. She glanced back to the necklace in her hooves, and pointed it towards the park. It brightened noticeably, and Dash started descending towards the trees.

The sound became more distinct as she approached. Soft, choking breaths, struggling to contain themselves. A sniffling nose, rasping against the quiet of night, and finally, an almost inaudible whimpering.

Dash touched down on the grass and looked around. The dirt was soft to the touch, and made almost no noise as she searched. She passed through a bundle of trees, and gasped quietly when she stopped on the other side. A single lamp lit the center of the park, flanked by a tall oak sitting just beside it. Underneath it, with her body curled against the trunk, her tail wrapped around her legs, and her head buried in her forelegs, was Twilight. She sobbed quietly as she gasped ragged, weary breaths. “I’m sorry….” she choked. “I’m so sorry…”

Dash felt her chest tighten. Her ears folded back, and her tail went limp against the soggy ground. She walked towards the tree. Twilight didn’t move as she did. Her body shuddered as she drew in another sharp sniffle and continued crying.

Dash stopped beside her. Twilight remained still. Dash reached down and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. She jumped at the contact and lifted her head. She turned and stared at Dash, who felt her stomach twist further at the sight of Twilight’s face. Her eyes were wide with surprise, streaked with red, and her mane was soaked, sticking to her face. She sniffled again, and opened her mouth to speak.

Dash sat down beside her. She placed a hoof on Twilight’s lips and shook her head. “No, Twi. You don’t need to say anything.” Dash lifted a wing and placed it over Twilight’s trembling body, and pulled her in close. She also lifted a leg and pulled Twilight’s head into her neck. Twilight wrapped her legs around Dash and squeezed as tightly as she could. Dash squeezed back. “I’m here, Twi.” She sniffled. “And I always will be.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 24

Embers

The next twenty-four hours went by in a blur. Twilight was silent the entire flight back to Aurora’s apartment, and immediately went to bed. Dash didn’t force any conversation. She knew Twilight was fragile, tired, and cold, and to be honest, she felt the same. Dash spent the night on the couch in the living space, but sleep evaded her for most of it.

Aurora was pleasant the next morning, cooking breakfast for the two of them. She, too did not press, which Dash was grateful for. Her glaring at her probably helped, but Aurora shrugged it off and continued unphased.

Twilight took her meal in her room. She returned a mostly full plate, which Aurora cleaned without comment. Dash didn’t try to bother Twilight, and kept her distance. If Twilight was going to talk, it was best to let her do it on her own. After what had happened, Dash was willing to give her all the time she needed.

In the meantime, Dash avoided her aunt as much as possible. Her bitterness was clearly obvious, as every time she glanced in Aurora’s direction, she simply replied, “Do not waste your anger on me, Prizma. Save it for yourself. I did nothing but help you. You will see it in time.”

Dash scoffed, grumbled and moved on. Instead, she did focused on at least one thing she could accomplish without ruining anything further. She took from Twilight’s bag the final book for exchange, and flew to the Imperial Palace in the afternoon. Her meeting was brief, explaining the situation to the guards that Twilight expressed her apologies, but would not be able to attend the exchange personally.

After the final exchange was complete, she flew back, more tired than before. Aurora tried to force bits of conversation, but Dash didn’t listen. She paced the apartment, spending most of her time staring out the balcony, losing herself to her memories, if only to have a happy moment to herself.

When Twilight finally showed herself, she expressed in the briefest way possible her intentions of getting on the boat home. Dash didn’t argue, and Aurora offered to guide them to the sea-port. Dash tried to resist, but Twilight insisted she come along.

The sea-port was a lengthy affair. They trudged through customs, no stranger to it, and waited patiently on the dock for their ship. It came with no fanfare, no excitement, only a bleating of a fog horn as the great vessel slogged into view. Unlike the airship that started their journey, this ship was a monster of steel and fumes that chugged through the murky waters of the St. Poniesburg port.

They approached the gangway, Dash following behind Twilight with her aunt right beside her. Twilight held her head low and moved at a slow, lethargic pace. It pained Dash to see her act like this, and blamed herself for being the cause of it.

Just before they climbed into the ship, Dash faced her aunt. As much as she wanted to scream at her for what she had done, Aurora was family. Her dad would have been furious if she had found out that Dash had left without saying a proper goodbye, and as scary as Aurora could be when she was angry, her dad was worse.

“Goodbye, Auntie. Thanks for the place to stay.”

Aurora laughed heartily. “You are most welcome, Prizma. I promise to visit soon when I have some time. It has been so long since I have seen your father.”

Dash shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”

Aurora wrapped her hooves around Dash and pulled her tight. “You anger is well placed, dear. One day you will see why I did it. Just be patient. The secret is out, now the rest is up to you. It’s important to speak up, and now you have. The rest should be simple.”

Dash grumbled, but managed to return the hug, although briefly. Aurora placed a quick peck on Dash’s cheek, who recoiled. “Ugh, Auntie! That’s gross.”

Aurora smiled. “It is an aunt’s place to smother her niece in affection, dear. You may be your mother’s little bluebird, but you will always be my special Prizma. Never forget that.”

Dash resisted the urge to smile, but instead let out an acceptant sigh. Twilight cleared her throat, and Dash turned to her. “It’s time to go, Rainbow Dash,” she said quietly.

Dash winced. Twilight hadn’t used her full name in such a long time, and it hurt to hear it now. “O-okay, Twilight. I’m right behind you.”

Dash cast one last glance at Aurora. She returned a nod, waved goodbye, and followed Twilight up the gangway onto the ship.

They found their room in little time. It was a small little nook with a small desk and two separate cubbies with beds. Twilight went immediately for her own, but Dash reached out and stopped her. She turned, staring with a sombre, empty expression. “Please,” she said, shaking her head. “Just… I can’t do this right now, Dash.”

Dash jerked her hoof away as if she had been stung. She winced and turned away. “N-no, you’re right. I’m sorry. I feathered up, Twi. I…” She sighed. “I’m just so sorry.”

Twilight didn’t reply. She went into her room and shut the door. Dash trembled as she heard the lock turn. She dropped her bags on the floor and trudged into her own room, shutting her own door behind her. She plopped onto the bed, buried her face into the pillow, and for the first time since she could remember, cried herself to sleep.

*****

Dash wasn’t sure how long she slept, only that night had fallen somewhere in the meantime. She stared at the ceiling, her mind in a haze of painful, unhappy emotions. She sniffled, and rubbed her nose on her pillow, which reeked of salty tears.

Well, I guess this is it, she thought. I got my answer, now the only thing left is to get over it.

She turned her head to the wall, with Twilight’s room on the other side. She’ll probably avoid me for a while when we get home. The girls will probably ask what happened. We’ll probably hide it for a while, but the secret will get out some how. She sighed. I wonder how that will go over.

And I thought I was the negative aspect, her mind chided.

Dash frowned and whacked her pillow. Don’t even start with me. You’ve been no help at all.

Your Aunt had the right idea. It’s not my fault she acted. It’s your fault for waiting so long.

Dash sniffled again. Just leave me alone… She rolled over and tightened her self in the blankets, when she heard a noise in the common room outside. She craned her head up and stared at the door. “Twilight?”

No answer. She untangled herself from the bed and walked to the door and peeked outside. A breeze of wind hit her in the face as she noticed the window was open. She walked over to shut it, when she heard the rustling of pages. She turned, and saw an open book on the desk, with a candle right beside it. A wisp of smoke trailed from it’s tip, and as Dash approached it, she could smell the waxy aroma.

Past the desk, she noticed that the door to Twilight’s room was open. She peeked her head in. The bed was empty. She turned back to the desk. Is this Twilight’s notebook?

Another breeze drifted through the room. The wind rushed across the desk and picked up the pages. Dash reached out a hoof and stopped the pages and glanced at the first entry.

Day one

This is exciting! I’ve just boarded the airship and I’m already nervous about this trip. I miss the girls already, but I’m so happy that Rainbow Dash was able to come. She’s always been so giving of her time to help the rest of us, I wasn’t surprised that she would do anything to come. I’m glad I don’t have to do this alone, and now we can have such an adventure by ourselves. I can’t imagine what amazing things we’ll see over the next few weeks. And I’m glad to be doing it with somepony like her.

Dash smiled. Of course Twilight would have written this down. What an egghead. She flipped forward a few pages and continued reading.

Day six.

Buckingham has been a very enlightening visit. The airship ride was slow, and I was pretty sure Dash was about to succumb to cabin fever a few times. I’m glad we were able to keep entertained, although her Tic-Tac-Toe skills are rather frightening. I should note to never play Pinkie Pie.

I was surprised, though, when we arrived at the palace of the Duke and Duchess of Cranberry. At first, it seemed that they were very pleasant ponies, but as the dinner went on, we discovered something rather unsettling. It seems that the Duke had a great deal of latent prejudice towards pegasi, due to some rather gloomy history during the country’s founding. Needless to say, he and Dash entered a shouting match that ended up with Dash nearly hitting him. To be honest, I was about to do the same thing when he made a comment about Spike being a monster. I’ve never been so angry in my life.

Dash looked so worried after what she did and she flew off. I was worried as well, until the Duchess started berating her husband for saying such things. Dash looked so upset after she ran away, but I’m glad I was able to find her later and explain what had happened.

That wasn’t even the most memorable part of visiting Buckingham. The one thing I’ll treasure most was what Dash did for me the day before. We visited a quaint little book store, and I couldn’t believe that I found one of the rarest writing sets made in the world. A Sir Gryphon du Pond original! I was ready to buy it right there, but it was so expensive. And then Dash bought it for me. Out of her own money, with no hesitation. I never knew Dash was capable of being so generous, and I don’t think I’d ever be able to repay her properly.

Day Nine

Our stay in Prance was an… interesting experience. The day started off when I lost my map, and Dash and I were forced to enlist the assistance of a tour guide to explore the city. We found a lovely mare named Vanille, who was kind enough to show us around the many cultural districts of the city. My favorite part was the art galleries dedicated to Marble de Chevalier. His work was so inspiring during his time, it was an honor to see it up close. The wing dedicated to his students was also wonderful, although, I did learn something else, and I feel like a fool for not noticing before.

I can’t believe I completely ignored the fact that Dash was with me. I was so grateful for her accompaniment on this trip that I didn’t even realize that we still had different interests. I should have known that she wouldn’t like the galleries, but she put up with them anyways, just for me. I was so grateful for her honesty of her opinion, and I will make sure not to abuse it again.

Dash frowned and skipped past the next part of the entry. Yeah, Prance was weird alright. Not sure I need to reread that.

Day Thirteen

It hurts to write. No, it hurts to think. It’s hurts everywhere. This ‘hangover’, as Dash called it not an experience I will plan on repeating in the future. Antlerdam was an unexpected adventure, one that I don’t think I’ll be able to completely remember. I’m surprised I can remember anything to write now, but I will try.

It was coincidence that an avalanche rerouted us to the land of the deerfolk, but Dash was very excited to visit. She was interested in seeing a music festival. It was a lively event, although a bit loud. I guess Dash noticed that I was uncomfortable with it. It was the least I could do for what occurred in Prance to repay her for the art galleries, even though she insisted that I didn’t need to.

The coincidences continued when we ran into Vinyl Scratch, an old friend of Dash’s and the same mare who was at Shining Armor’s wedding. We followed her to a club. It was a very lively place. The music was loud, the ponies were happy and it was all so… infectious is the only word I can think of. Dash convinced me to dance. I’ve always been wary of my ability to dance, but she just kept encouraging me. The crowd even cheered my name near the end. I’ve never had so much fun before in my life, and I have Dash to thank for that. I can’t remember much after that, and to be honest, I think I’ll be better off not.

Dash stopped, and reread the entry after something caught her attention. Her breaths started to skip as she went through all the previous entries again and again. She went ahead, narrowing her search for anything to affirm her suspicions.

Day Sixteen

We left Germane in a hurry, but I suppose it was for obvious reasons. The Equestrian Games were in full swing during our stay, but it was hardly the reason we departed quicker than intended.

We ran into Gilda, one of Dash’s old friends. I didn’t remember her very well, but Dash seemed to with little difficulty. It wasn’t long before they started arguing again. I managed to talk them into a truce, as they had been friends once, and I hated to see them fighting like that. They made some mistakes in the past, but that was hardly a reason to just toss their friendship away.

But, things only got more complicated from there. Spitfire, an Equestrian athlete ended up being poisoned, and I helped in the investigation at Dash’s insistence. I was worried to discover that Gilda’s brother, Mace, was likely involved. Dash charged in with accusations, and ended up getting into a fight with Gilda.

We got kicked out by the Gryphon Chancellor, and were getting ready to leave when Gilda came to apologise. I was surprised, but not nearly as much as Dash was. What surprised me most of all was how they actually managed to work past their differences and reconcile. I am so proud of Dash and her kindness. This trip has shown me so many new sides of her, and I can’t wait to see what else I can learn from her.

Dash turned to the next entry, and sucked in a sharp breath. The next page was covered in whole sentences crudely scratched out. The first half of the page was covered in false starts and hasty revisions all of which were illegible with heavy coatings of ink. It wasn’t until the following page that Dash could read Twilight’s writing. She swallowed a lump in her throat as her eyes found the start, and continued.

Day… I don’t even know what day it is. I’ve lost track of everything since… well since all of this started. I haven’t been able to think clearly about anything since last night. I keep trying to come up with something new, anything to comb through my thoughts, but all I end up doing is just repeating it over and over.

Rainbow Dash loves me… I don’t understand why, but she does. I could have tried to rationalize it as her just admitting her platonic love as my friend, but there was no mistaking it. She loves me. I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I’m such an idiot.

I ran away. Why was that my first reaction? She’s my friend. She deserved better than that. I’m a big mare. I could have said no, and at least avoided most of the heart ache, but I didn’t. I just ran, I just couldn’t face her. I’m a terrible pony.

But she came for me. Even after what I had done. I don’t know why I tried to keep her from finding me, but she still found me. I was alone, in the freezing cold in a city I didn’t know, trying to pretend it didn’t happen. I just wanted to hide, and she found me. She saved me, like she always does. Her loyalty to me is truly remarkable. I should have never taken it for granted, I know I never will again.

Looking back through this journal, I have discovered something amazing during our time together on this journey. We've grown so close, closer than I realized. Looking at it now, her affection was so obvious, why didn’t I see it? Why didn’t I look with my heart, instead of my stupid brain?

I don’t even know how I feel about her. I don’t know anything about love. Only stories Mom told me when I was little. I didn’t have time for love then, and I didn’t have time for it now.

So why is this different? Why does it hurt now?

Dash fell to the floor. She shook her head, over and over, trying to clear her head, but it didn’t help. Her tensed herself, bracing all her emotions. She wasn’t going to break down, not again. She was going to be strong, regardless of how Twilight truly felt about her. She was confused, just as much as her, that much was certain. But it didn’t make her feel any better.

The pages jumped from another breeze. Dash’s eyes drifted up to the journal and she reached up to close it. She stopped, noticing the edge of the next page was bent. She frowned. Twilight would never do that to a book.

She stood back up, reached out, and turned the page. Her eyes widened. A single message was written in large letters, as if it were waiting for her to finally reach it:

Meet me outside, at the bow. I’m ready to talk.

—Twilight

Dash’s heart began to race. She darted her head side to side, looking at the notebook, the window, and the door. She lost control of her thoughts, and her breathing. She placed a hoof on her chest and breathed a single, deep breath, forcing her body to halt its overclocking nature.

Just calm down, Dash. She wants to talk. I can do this. We can clear the air, and at least get past the awkwardness.

She went for the door, but paused as she reached for the handle. She turned back to the desk, and looked on the other side. Twilight’s bags were still there, and she reached inside for one of her dictionaries. But first, I need to figure out what a bow is.

Author's Note

Next Chapter will update tomorrow. Everyone's patience will be rewarded.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 25

Dreams Don’t Turn to Dust

Dash ventured out into the deck of the ship. A spray of sea water drifted up from the churning waters below and grazed her cheek. She breathed the salty air deep into her lungs and released it. Her mind was frazzled, weary, and yet, calm and focused. The last few weeks had taken their toll, and yet she still stood strong. She chuckled quietly to herself, grateful that her stubbornness was good for something.

She turned towards the front of the ship and broke into a steady trot. The groaning of the metal and wood beneath her hooves, and the splashing of the water below her were her only companions. Her head was a jumble of thoughts, and she hoped that maybe soon, they would finally clear themselves, if only so she could sleep soundly again.

She left the walkway alongside the ship and entered the open space near the front. A rough wind blew across the deck, and Dash brushed her mane out of her eyes. The space was lit by bright lanterns encased in glass, cutting out silhouettes in the low light of the moon. She kept moving as she looked around.

A few steps in, her breath caught in her throat as she spotted what she was looking for. Twilight was there, sitting at the very front of the ship as she stared out over the sea. Her mane was being tossed about by the wind, but her body was a still as stone. Dash swallowed a lump as she slowly approached.

Twilight didn’t move, nor did she say anything as Dash trotted closer. It wasn’t until Dash got to Twilight’s side that she was sure she knew she was there at all. Twilight’s head turned very slightly towards her and turned back. Dash took the silence as invitation to sit, so she stepped forward and sat down beside Twilight with a few feet between them.

Twilight kept staring forward. She batted her tail back and forth, like a cat would when it was waiting, waiting for something to happen, something to change.

Dash sighed and cleared her throat. “Hey.”

Twilight let out a short breath. “Hey.”

“I… uh… got your message.”

Twilight nodded very slightly. “I assumed as much.” She glanced at Dash, and back to the water. “Did you notice the same thing I did? From the entries?”

Dash rubbed her knee. “Y-yeah… I kinda did. It’s pretty… uh—”

“Weird?” Twilight shook her head. “That’s the only word I can think of for it.”

“Y-yeah. Weird. Let’s go with that.”

Twilight tilted her head up, turning her attention to the moon. “I remember a story somepony told me once, when I was little. A bedtime story from my mother. It didn’t have a name, but it didn’t really need one. It was about a knight from ancient times, trying to earn the attention of his lady love. She set out a series of task for him to complete, in the form of riddles.”

She cleared her throat, and recited the poem. “A token of love, generously given. A mind’s true self, honestly defended. A laughter’s smile, joyously incited. A heart’s tenderness, kindly shown. And a bond, loyally protected.” She turned to Dash. “Sound familiar?”

Dash nodded.

Twilight dropped her head and sighed. When she lifted it again, Dash blinked at the sadness and confusion she saw in Twilight’s face. “I don’t know what to say, Dash. Everything has gone completely out of control, and I don’t know which way to go. I don’t understand so much.”

Dash fumbled her hooves together. “I-I get that, Twi. I could have done this so much better, but I screwed it up. It’s all my fault that you’re feeling this way.”

Twilight shook her head. “But that’s just it. It isn’t. It’s my fault. I should have never given you that necklace.”

Dash blinked. She glanced down at the scrying amulet around her neck. It glowed a warming light, despite it’s pair no longer working. She grasped it tightly in her hooves, and looked back to Twilight. “You… you think it’s because of the necklace?”

Twilight nodded. “I put the wrong idea in your head, even though I explained it.”

Dash’s body tensed, and she let out a stifled snicker. “That’s not it at all, Twi.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Then what is?”

Dash placed a hoof on the railing and looked away. “You remember that night, on my roof? When we watched the stars together?”

She heard Twilight gasp. “Since then?” She paused. Dash turned. Twilight’s face was set in shock. She had a hoof on the tip of her lips, and her eyes were darting, searching through memory. “You put your wing over me to keep me warm. You got so close, even when you dislike ponies touching you.” She struck her hoof against the railing, which gave off a sharp metallic ring. “I’m such an idiot! You’ve had these feelings for that long?”

“Y-yeah.”

“But why? Why do you have these feelings for me?”

Dash reared back and tightened her legs around her chest. “There’s a lot of reasons, I guess. I could say it’s because you’re pretty, but it wouldn’t be enough. I could say it’s because you’re super smart, but it wouldn’t be enough. I could say that it’s because you’re kind, and loving, and a whole bunch of other things, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Dash shuddered, and brought her eyes to Twilight’s. Even in the darkness, Dash could tell she was blushing and trying to avoid eye contact. “You’re just awesome, Twi. I know I say that about a bunch of things, but when I say it about you, it means everything to me.”

Twilight turned her head away and slumped down. She rubbed the side of her leg, but didn’t say anything. Dash embraced the silence for a while, listening to the rumbling of the waves below as they crashed against the ship. She kept glancing at Twilight in the edge of her vision. She was still shaking, as if she were still reliving the events of the last two days. Dash watched in vain as Twilight tried to tense her body to keep the trembling at bay, but it never kept away for long. Dash sighed and dropped her head. “Twi?”

Twilight’s head tilted slightly towards her.

“We need to talk about what happened in Stalliongrad." Dash paused and took a slow, labored breath. "I need to know why you ran.”

Twilight turned away. Her mane flitted in the air and settled again. “I don’t know.”

Dash exhaled. “I’m sorry, Twi, but I don’t believe you.” She scooched towards Twilight and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Please, tell me.”

Twilight’s head bobbed as she choked down a quiet sob. She brought a hoof to her face and sniffled loudly. “I...I…I really don’t know why, Dash.” She lowered her head and shuddered. “I keep replaying it over in my head, what you said. I keep thinking I misheard it, or something, anything else. But as soon as I hear exactly what you—you said… I just run. It's like it was my brain's only response.”

Twilight turned her head. Her eyes were watering, and she sniffled loudly to fight them back. “I was scared, Dash. Scared and confused. Not from what you said, but from myself.”

Dash frowned and shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

Twilight wiped a hoof across her eyes. “I barely do myself. I was just so stunned, so blind by my inability to see it earlier. I was ashamed, in almost an instant, as soon as I saw all the pieces fall together. I was so angry at myself for not seeing it earlier, and I didn’t want anypony to see me like that.” She placed a hoof on Dash. “Not even you.”

She sniffed again and turned her body from Dash, trembling. "But even after I made some headway through...well, everything, I finally realized what I had done. I had broken my only way of getting back to you. I was alone. Cold. I could hear the storm coming. And then the rain..." She trembled again. "And then I saw the Rainboom. I knew you were out there, looking for me, even after what I had done. You found me." She sniffed and placed her hoof on Dash. She stared with a fond expression, wet with fresh tears. "You saved me."

Dash exhaled a slow breath and stared back out over the ocean. A breeze blew across the ship, carrying her mane in its gentle embrace. A small tug at her neck prompted her to look at her necklace which was swinging in the wind. She stared at it and squeezed it in her hooves. “ Speaking of the necklace. Why do you think this thing is still working even though you broke the other one?”

Twilight lifted her head and glanced at the gem in Dash’s hooves. She shrugged and turned back. “There’s a lot of reasons, but none of them make much sense, even to me.”

“Twilight…” Dash intoned.

She sighed. “Well, when you did the Sonic Rainboom…” She paused. “Well, a rainboom is still undocumented, since you are the only pony capable of doing it. Breaking the spectrum barrier is a feat of tremendous magic, magic that we can’t fully explain.”

Twilight’s magic came to life, gripping the necklace and sliding it over Dash’s head. She held it in front of her, turning it in air and examined it. “Scrying gem’s like this are enchanted to respond to another magical frequency. A magical frequency in a scrying gem has traces of the unicorn that made it, no matter how much you vary it. Even when I broke one, the other would try to find the trace, which was coded to me. It would have been too weak to follow it at a distance, except for a skilled unicorn to increase the power.” She turned her head to Dash and smiled weakly. “Or a desperate pegasus trying to find her friend. All I can think of is that your rainboom charged your gem so much that even my latent magical aura would have led you to me.”

Twilight returned the necklace. Dash took it in her hooves again and looked at it. “But why is it still going? Wouldn’t that power just drain away?”

Twilight shook her head. “You underestimate the power of a Sonic Rainboom.” She reached out and placed her hoof on the gem, and pressed it into Dash’s chest. “There is so much energy coursing through this gem right now, that it will outlast the both of us, and it will forever be attuned to me, and me alone.” Twilight shuddered and pulled her hoof away.

Dash’s mouth fell open. “Wow that’s… intense… Almost like…”

“Like magic has a sense of humor?”

Dash chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say that, but yeah, I guess so.”

Twilight tried to smile, but turned her head away before Dash could see it’s completion. She was quiet for a long while, staring out over the ocean as the breeze wafted over the deck. Dash took in a deep, slow breath of the salty air, and released it back into the wind. She slumped her shoulders and turned back to Twilight, clearing her throat.

“Twilight… I guess I get what you’re saying. Before this, all of this, I didn’t really notice this mushy stuff either. I was so ready to go through life never worrying about it.” She shook her head. “But, something happened. I don’t know what, but I just couldn’t help it anymore. I thought about you almost all the time. I loved spending time with you, and then I started dreaming about you. My own brain just lost control over it, and I just didn’t feel the same.

“You know that I try to never let my fears get me down. I have them, but I always try to get over them. But this… I was terrified. I was terrified of admitting it to you, and having you turn me away, or leaving my life completely. I couldn’t bear the thought of you not being a part of my life Twilight, friend or… something more.”

She let out a hollow chuckle. “And I guess, after what happened back there, I guess I got my answer, without really asking the question.”

Twilight turned, eyebrow raised. “What question?”

Dash swallowed. “The one thing I’ve been wanting to say this the whole time. From day one I just wanted to come out with it, but… I was so scared. But now, but after everything that’s happened, everything I’ve seen, and everyone I’ve spoken to, I don’t think I can get away with just saying it once.” Dash reached out and grabbed Twilight’s hooves, holding them close to her chest. She tried to look Twilight head on, but her head felt heavy and weak.

She reached into her wing and pulled out a small piece of paper with crude writing scrawled over it. “I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed some of your dictionaries, so I could get the words right.” She took a deep breath, and finally, she spoke from her heart.

“I loved you in Buckingham.

Je t'aimais à Cheval.

Ik hield van je in Antlerdam.

Ich liebte dich in Spurlin.

Ya lyubila tebya v Sankt-Poniburge.”

Dash sighed. She discarded the scrap of paper to the wind, lifted her head and stared into Twilight’s eyes. “And I love you here and now, more than ever. And I always will. Will you be my special somepony?”

Twilight was still. Her eyes were wide, unblinking. Her face shifted from its usual color to a burning red. She moved nothing, said nothing, did nothing. She only stared straight back into Dash’s eyes. A single tear trickled down her face, and her chest heaved a single breath.

She pulled her hooves out of Dash’s grip, and turned towards the deck again. Dash tensed and backed away. She looked down and traced the ground with her hoof. “At least now I said it. You can say no if you want, I won’t blame you.” She shuddered as her eyes began to water. “But at least I said it.”

“Yes, you did. But—”

Dash’s head shot up. Twilight was still staring over the edge. Her face was set in a calm, contemplative expression. “But I’m not sure if I want to say no.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Twilight sighed. “I’ve never really understood love, Dash. I’ve always known it was there, Cadence made sure of that. But I never saw how it could apply to me, specifically. I was just Celestia’s student. All I did was study. I didn’t care about having friends, let alone being in love. I didn’t have the time. It took you and the girls to bring me out of that way of thinking, but love...” She looked out over the water. “I don’t know the first thing about love, Dash. Or being a special somepony to somepony else.” She looked back to Dash. “But I’m willing to learn.” She reached out for Dash’s hoof and pulled it to her chest, squeezing tightly. “I’m willing to learn for you, Dash.”

Dash looked at her hoof clutched in Twilight’s and looked back into her eyes. “What are you saying, Twi?”

Twilight sniffed, and choked out a teary laugh. She wiped the tear away and smiled. “Teach me… Teach me how I can love, Dash. Teach me how I can love you. If you give me a chance to try, to understand how we can make this work, I promise I’ll be the best student ever, for you.”

Dash went still. Her body tensed as her mouth hung open, trying to form a response. She choked on words, tears flowed from her eyes, and she started trembling as she blinked away the water to see. “You… you mean that?”

Twilight nodded with a tiny smile, rubbing away her own tears. “I’m willing to try, Dash. I can’t bear the thought of hurting you either, so… I’ll be your special somepony, if you’ll have me after all I’ve put you through. I owe you at least that chance.”

Dash reached out and brushed a hoof across Twilight’s cheek. She felt the dampness there. It felt soft and moist and… real. Her eyes widened at her touch, and further still when Twilight reached over and pulled her into a hug. The two wrapped their hooves around each other, holding tightly in the calm of the summer night. Dash breathed in the Twilight's scent, that fruity fragrance of her mane. Her fur was soft and bristled against her own. Even in the chill of night, Twilight also felt unusually warm to the touch, and Dash couldn't believe any of it.

"This is real... isn't it?" Dash said. "It's not a dream?"

Twilight giggled. "I could pinch you if you wanted. I'm having a hard time believing this myself."

"Nah. I...I think this is okay. I'm just glad to have you in my hooves." She squeezed Twilight tighter. "It feels... right."

"Hmm... you're right. It does."

Dash felt Twilight pull her head away, and lifted her own. Twilight was staring at her with a dreamy expression, and a growing blush. While still wrapped in each others embrace, Twilight’s eyes darted a moment to the side. Dash followed the glance, when Twilight leaned forward and placed a peck on Dash’s lips.

Dash tensed and shook her head. “What was that?”

Twilight shuffled her legs. Her ears folded back as her blushed deepened. “O-our first kiss? Th-that’s what special someponies do, right? I-I’m not completely unread in love.”

Dash stared for a single, dumbfounded moment, before she smiled. “Yeah, it’s what they do. But a first kiss is more like this…” She leaned forward, grabbing the back of Twilight’s head and brought her closer. Twilight let out a quiet yelp before their lips met. Twilight’s ears sprang out, as Dash held themselves together, under the stars, over the sea, miles away from home in just the perfect moment. Dash felt a spark ignite within her heart as Twilight slowly pressed back against her. A calm summer wind swirled around them on the deck of the ship, and Dash could feel the warm air rustle through her feathers and the breeze twisted their manes together in the air.

They stayed locked together, in a moment of perfect calm like the entire universe didn’t matter to them anymore, and in truth it didn’t. It was just the two of them, sharing their love, in the most pristine way possible, and nothing could ruin it now.

When they finally parted, their lungs were dry, their breaths shallow. Dash felt a warm sweat tingling her skin, and Twilight panted deeply for air. “W-wow…” she stammered. “That was...that…”

Dash smiled, and pulled Twilight back into a hug. She twisted her body so that she could drape her wing over Twilight’s back, and squeezed her tight. “Yeah…” she panted. “That was pretty awesome. It was almost like…”

Twilight smiled. “Magic?”

Dash smiled as well and tightened her grip. “Yeah, magic.”

And so, the two of them lay there on the steel vessel, laying together in their newly found emotions. They leaned against each other, tightly bound by love and so much more. Dash stared up into the sky with a great sigh of relief. The stars had finally showed themselves, as if they, too, were waiting for this moment. The past few weeks had been a toll on Dash, in more ways than one. Despite all the disasters that life had thrown at her in the pursuit of her heart, her dreams, had finally, finally, come true.

She nestled her head against Twilight’s. “Hey, Twi?”

Twilight exhaled softly, and nuzzled back. “Yes?”

“When can we do this again?”

Author's Note

Epilogue tomorrow. The end is nigh.

Epilogue

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Epilogue

The Ludicrous Lecture of a Lunar Leader
And the Perfectly Perpetrated Plans of a Pair of Pony Princesses

Luna yawned, and this fact alone was enough to cause her confusion. She had deliberately set aside a predetermined time for the prerequisite amount of sleep hours per night, as suggested by the top doctors in the land. She ate balanced meals throughout the day, hoof-made by the finest chefs imported from the entire world. Her bed was crafted from the finest down and textiles from the realms of Saddle-Arabia and Fleece, hoofstitched and made for a princess. And yet, she yawned.

She strode through the halls of the castle, thinking on how her routines could has been disrupted so that she would feel fatigue so early in the night. She had planned around every possibility of interruptions that would bother her and her precious sleep.

I have seen an increase in my paperwork as of late, she wondered. Perhaps Celestia knows why I’ve been receiving more tax amendments lately.

She approached a large set of doors, flanked by golden clad guards on both sides. They nodded their heads towards their approaching princess, and opened the door for her. “Your Majesty,” one guard said. “Your dinner has been prepared for you.”

Luna nodded as she passed. “Thank you, sir knight. I trust Celestia is there as well?”

The guard nodded. “Indeed, milady. She is nearly finished her breakfast with Princess Cadence.”

Luna paused a moment, and raised an eyebrow. “Princess Cadence is here again? So soon?”

“Yes. I believe they are meeting to discuss something. There were many boxes brought in not long ago, and they seemed very interested in the contents.”

Luna turned her attention to the door. “Hmm. I will have to see how they are faring.” She regarded the guards with a terse nod. “Thank you, sir knights.”

The stallions bowed their heads, and Luna proceeded through the doors towards the dining hall. Echoing hoofsteps bounced off the walls as she moved at a leisured pace, focusing her attention on the door on the far side. It was hanging slightly ajar. Sunlight poured through the opening, reflecting off the polished floors.

As Luna approached, new sounds drifted past her ears, overpowering the echoes. She turned her head towards their source, and heard a faint giggling from the other side. It was a young and lively laugh, and Luna rolled her eyes as she determined its owner.

As the giggling continued, however, Luna became further confused at it’s nature. She stopped, just on the outside of the door, and reached out her hearing. “Try this one on next, Auntie! Its colors would look beautiful on you!”

A strained, uneasy chuckle followed. “I am certain it will, Cadence. Much like the last ten dresses. I’m still not so sure ordering this many was such a good idea.”

Cadence laughed. “Oh, come on, Aunt Celestia. It’s not like these won’t be useful in the long run. Sure they were a ploy for something else, but you can’t say you don’t love them. Twilight’s friends really are amazing!”

Luna’s confusion reached it’s limit, and she pushed her way through the doors. “Celestia, what in Equus are you two—”

Luna froze on the other side of the door. A long table sat in the center of the room, covered in a shimmering white tablecloth and plate arrangements. At the front of the table, were Princess Cadence, trying to hide a heated look on her face, while Celestia stood right beside her. Luna blinked a few times at her sister, as she tried to determine whether or not she was losing her mind. After all, there was no way in Equestria Celestia would ever wear something so frilly, so bedazzled, and so—

“Pink!” Luna blurted. “I have never seen so much pink in a dress since we were children!”

Celestia shook her head, and laughed. She glanced at the dress that hung from her, and gave it an affectionate brush with her hoof. “Oh, I think I rather quite like it. It needs to be hemmed a tad more for my size, but it is rather lovely, don’t you agree, sister?”

“I...you...why…” Luna stammered. She blinked rapidly, and looked away. Her eyes fell on a small stack of boxes sitting beside the table. “And what is that?”

“Oh, this?” Cadence said, moving to the boxes. She reached inside and pulled out a silver platter, lined with cakes, cookies, and many more sugary sweets. “Just a special order from Ponyville. We were in the mood for some sweets, and so we had some delivered.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “All of that? That’s enough for nearly a fortnight!”

“Well, Luna,” Celestia said, snatching a cupcake from the platter in her magic. “You are welcome to try some. As you said, there’s plenty to go around.”

Luna huffed. “I must decline, sister. Somepony around here must be attentive to their figure, or else there will be far more than a quick hemming needed to maintain a dress so fittingly.”

“Well, we can’t just let them go to waste.” Cadence said. “We wouldn’t want Twilight’s friend to be upset that we didn’t want their food that they so lovingly prepared for us.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Why would you be concerned with one of young Sparkle’s friends so specifically?”

Cadence blinked. “O-oh! No reason,” she said, shaking her hoof.

“Speaking of which, Cadence. I do think enough time has passed for you to recover those eggs from miss Fluttershy. I think Philomena’s patience for your little game has run its limit.”

Luna frowned. “How does that have any relation to desserts? If this is some idea of a ruse on my part, Celestia, I am not finding it amusing!”

Celestia laughed. “I promise that we mean no such thing, Luna. It’s… just something me and Cadence have been working on the past few weeks.”

“Such as? Because I see a few dozen dresses, several weeks worth of snacks and cakes and a missing nest of phoenix eggs. If these are the ingredients for some grand scheme, I fail to see the formula.”

Celestia shook her head. “You worry too much Luna. I promise you that we are not planning anything at your expense. Cadence and I just put something in motion sometime ago, and these are some of the results. Nothing more.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Then, you would not have any reservations of explaining these machinations to me? If they are truly unrelated to me.”

A playful grin spread across Celestia’s face. “I suppose I could, but I am hesitant to reveal such a private matter.”

Luna pointed an accusatory hoof at Celestia. “Aha! Then you are keeping something from me! I am on to your games, dear sister! You will not out be outmatching me in the games of hoodwinks and tomfoolery!” She grinned.

Celestia rolled her eyes and sighed. “Very well, Luna. If that’s what you want to think, then I won’t try to change your mind.”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, when a timid knock came from the door. The princesses turned to see a small, bookish pegasus enter the room. He fussed and fidgeted with his glasses, as he usually did, as he shuffled across the floor in a low, bowed walk.

“Y-your majesties,” he stammered. “A letter has arrived bearing the royal seal.” He lifted one of his wings and retrieved a small, wax stamped envelope from within, and presented it.

“Thank you, Mr Bookend. Luna, would you be so kind?”

Luna glanced back at her sister, and after staring for a moment, rolled her eyes and sighed. “Very well.” Luna’s magic ignited and snatched the letter from Bookend’s grasp. He let out a startled noise as she did, and bowed lower.

“Y-your majesties.” He backed out towards the door, and shut the door behind him.

Luna held the letter, and eyed it curiously. “If it bears the seal, it must have some importance, should it not?”

Celestia nodded. “That is true. Would you mind reading it aloud, Luna?”

Luna let out an indignant sigh. She broke the seal and withdrew a folded letter, opened it, and read.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I am sorry—”

“Wait,” Celestia interrupted. She stepped away from the table and trotted towards Luna. “Is that a letter from Twilight?”

Luna looked down at the letter, skipping to the end. She looked back up and nodded. "How did you know?"

Celestia chuckled. "Only Twilight addresses me so plainly. Everypony else always adds an additional honorific or three. It's all rather exhausting to read sometimes."

“A letter from Twilight?” Cadence said. “What does it say? What does it say?”

Luna huffed. “If you are quite finished interrupting, perhaps I could tell you.”

Cadence scrunched her nose up, as Luna cleared her throat and continued.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I am sorry for sending this letter through standard post and using the wax seal you gave me. I know you said only to use it in emergencies, but I wanted this letter to arrive as quickly as possible, and without Spike with me, this was the next best option.

“I am glad to say that the exchanges have been a complete success. Rainbow Dash and I had a wonderful time travelling through the eastern kingdoms and visiting so many different cultures. The journey was not without its faults, which I will speak on more in person once we return. All of the ambassadors and rulers paid their respects, and were more than helpful in accommodating myself and Rainbow Dash on our trip. We have so many stories that we can’t wait to tell you and our friends. We hope to see you soon.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.”

Luna blinked as she lowered the letter. “Well, it seems miss Sparkle had quite an experience. I am looking forward to—”

She frowned. Celestia and Cadence were staring at each other with worried glances. Cadence turned to Luna. “That’s it? There’s nothing more?”

Luna turned the letter around and shrugged. “There is nothing else.”

Cadence groaned. “You can’t mean to tell me that it didn’t work! All that planning for nothing?”

Celestia shook her head. “Now, now, Cadence. There was always a chance of it not working out in the end.”

“But it was so perfect!” Cadence pouted. “There is no way Rainbow Dash couldn’t have done something with the opportunities we gave her. I even sent one of my best friends to help give her a push in the right direction!”

“What,” Luna growled, “in the four corners of Equus are you two talking about?”

“Oh,” Celestia said under a winded sigh. “Just a disappointing end to a plan several weeks in the making.”

“And this plan was…”

Cadence shook her head, crossed her forelegs, and continued pouting on the table. “You wouldn’t understand, Auntie Luna. It was just an attempt at bringing another bit of love into the world, and it failed spectacularly.”

“And it appears to involve Twilight Sparkle and… Miss Rainbow Dash, does it not?” Luna smirked. “Toying in the world of love again, are we, dear Cadence?”

Cadence huffed and turned away. Celestia walked to her side and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s alright, Cadence. Maybe our plan didn’t work the way we wanted, but it isn’t too late. Perhaps, when they return we can—”

Another knock at the door diverted the princesses’ attention. The door creaked open, and once again, Bookend crawled slowly into the room with his head hung low.

“U-um, your Majesties. I must apologize, but it seems I forgot something.”

“Oh? What is it, Mr Bookend?”

Bookend’s wing opened again and he pulled out a second envelope. “This was sent with the same seal, your majesty. It arrived shortly after the first one.”

Luna turned and snatched it from his wing. He yelped again, and retreated from the room. She walked towards the table, breaking the seal and folding the letter inside against it’s envelope. After glancing through it, she looked at Celestia. “It’s another letter from Miss Sparkle.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Well, go on, read it.”

Luna cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Celestia—” Luna paused. She glanced up at Celestia with a worried look. “Please don’t be mad...?”

Celestia blinked as Luna continued. “After the hectic nature of our trip, Rainbow Dash insisted we take an extended week on our way home to have something resembling a ‘real’ vacation. As much as I protested, after a few days, I am starting to see it’s appeal. I do hope you will not be too angry for me using the travel voucher for something other than our primary mission.

“I am sending this post card along with a more formal note at Dash’s request as well, as she felt the need for me to recount something that has happened on our voyage. As excited as I was to be travelling with a dear friend, I was not expecting to make so much headway in the research of friendship itself. I have met many different ponies and otherwise on this voyage, but I have learned so much more about the friend I have always had.

“I learned just how much a friendship can grow and evolve into something even more, something even greater. I had always been hesitant at some of the aspects of social interaction, but if my new life in Ponyville has taught me anything, its that friendship and all it’s forms are equally powerful and beautiful, and I am happy to see it more clearly than I once did.

"Dash has been speaking about her needing to find something important to her, and she saw this voyage as a means to accomplish just that. As strange as it sounded when she explained it to me, she does claim that she succeeded, and, all things considered regarding the last few weeks we have shared, I suppose I’d be lying if—”

Luna paused and frowned at the letter. “She’d be lying if what?” Cadence asked. She had turned in her chair and was leaning against its back. It wobbled on its edge as she leaned back and forth to maintain its balance, and her eyes were wide.

Luna shook her head. “I do not know. The sentence ends there. There’s no more room for her to have written.”

“It’s a postcard,” Celestia said. “Perhaps there is something on the back?”

Luna shrugged and turned the letter over. Her eyes went wide at what she saw on the other side. She felt a burning sensation assaulting her cheeks, and her mouth fell open in a limp, slack jawed state.

“I-I… um… Well…” she stammered, before she floated the letter over to Celestia. “I-I think it’s better if you finish it Celestia. It’s not my p-place.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow as she took the letter in her own magic. Cadence hopped off her chair and stood at her side, standing on her hoof tips to match Celestia’s reading height as she peered at the letter.

“But I suppose I’d be lying if…” Celestia read. She turned the card over. Her eyes widened, much like Luna’s, but her expression quickly turned into a smile. She lowered the letter so Cadence could see, who broke out into a wide, giggling, squealing grin as she did.

The image itself, seemed to have been taken backwards, with Rainbow Dash holding the camera towards herself. She had a wide, victorious grin on her face as she had her legs and a wing wrapped tightly around Twilight Sparkle. The angle was difficult to interpret, but it appeared the two of them were sitting together in a beach chair, with an expanse of sand and ocean waters behind them. Celestia’s eyes fell onto a corner of the picture, which said ‘Greetings from Haywaii’ in a brightly colored font.

The focus of the image was of course, Twilight. She had her own hooves around Dash in the chair. The two of them were blushing slightly, noticeable even in the light of the tropical sun, as Twilight’s lips were pressed lightly against Dash’s cheek.

On the edge of the image, in the border of the card, was a small, quill written caption:

I’d be lying if I said she was wrong. We definitely found it.

TS x RD

***THE END***

Author's Note

A big thank you to Ambris for the beautiful capstone image to tie everything together.

People can see the image, right?

If you don't know who he is, then you should give his Tumblr a look at http://needs-more-pony.tumblr.com/. He is also a very prolific Twi-Dasher himself, and also Mod's http://needs-more-twidash.tumblr.com/

Also check out his deviantArt. http://ambris.deviantart.com/

That's it! No more! We're finally done. Expect a blog post for a final thoughts later today! I hope you guys will check it out! Thanks again for the ride.

Prologue

Dreams and Disasters
By Quillery

Prologue

The Devious Designs of a Daytime Diarch
And the Subsequent Scheming
of a Serendipitous Sovereign

It was rare that Celestia felt as bored as she did today. She sat within her private chambers, staring out her window over the calm summer afternoon. There was nothing she would prefer than to sit out on the balcony, maybe enjoy a cup of tea and watch her blessed sun pass over the mountains of Canterlot before she would lower it for her sister to begin the night. Anything to avoid going back to the mountain of paperwork that had somehow appeared around her desk.

She sighed. As much as she tried to put it out of her mind, there was no escaping her duties. Treaties had to be signed; regulations had to be authorised. Such was the role of a princess. Even after Luna’s return, there only seemed to be more for her to do. Now, with two princesses, the Canterlot nobility had two ponies to bother.

She slumped forward. Best to get this done now, she thought. She turned with great reluctance and moved towards her desk. Her horn glowed golden as a quill floated in front of her, ready to begin its task. The piles of papers and scrolls loomed over her, threatening to topple at the slightest provocation. She lifted the topmost pile from one of the spires and laid it on the marble desk in front of her. She groaned quietly as she read the documents. Tax amendments. Wonderful. I remember Luna enjoying calculations more than I. Perhaps I should let the accountants know... She giggled softly, scribbling her mark on the various paperwork.

Celestia scribbled at the paperwork, quickly at first. As her eyes scanned the dozens of lines of information, her quill slowed, its strokes becoming stiffer. Each scratch of the plume mimicked a dull rhythm, up and down, left to right.

A gentle grin formed in the corner of her mouth. Her eyes twitched as the quiet sound of scraping paper filled the air. Her mouth parted open as she hummed a single soothing note. It was followed by another, and another. A single scale rang through the chamber and descended into a simple melody. It carried with it the weight of a millennia of joy and happiness. The general public of Equestria may not have known the origins of the ancient song, but their beloved princess had known it for as long as she could remember. The room brightened from the music she quietly sang and made the quiet chamber feel happier from its harmony. She would need every shred of joy she could get her hooves on, for her days would be busy for weeks to come.

A gentle breeze wafted in from the open window. Celestia could not help but pause her work to breathe in the summer smells wafting through the air into her chambers. From Vanhoover to Baltimare, the flowers of Equestria were among the most beautiful of the world. She would know, having travelled the distance of Equus many times in her long life.

She leaned back to stare at the ceiling. It has been a long time since I’ve left the capital, let alone Equestria. Even a princess cannot get a day off these days. She heaved a heavy sigh as the brunt of her current reality hit her full force.

Before she could return the quill to the desk, a sudden rustling sound snapped her attention upwards. She craned her head up at the tower of papers, eyes widened at the sight of the papers moving on their own. They tilted and weaved, almost toppling over. Celestia’s eyes darted in a panic. It was not her heavy sigh that threatened the pile: it was the wind.

Her horn began to glow brightly as she slammed the window closed. One final gust of wind escaped into the room, rushing headlong towards Celestia, and her paperwork. Seeing no other alternative, she then moved her magical grip to the tower itself, holding each spire steady with its golden glow.

The wind eventually subsided, ceasing its harassment. Celestia sighed and wiped a hoof across her forehead as she released her magic from the pile. The tower had ended its swaying and did not show any further signs of revolt. That was close. Far more exciting than a pile of paperwork needed to be. Content that her looming paperwork was no longer poised to strike out at her, she returned her attention to her work.

She reached out with her magic to pull another document, when a loosened scroll rolled across the desk. Celestia stared at it a moment as it came to a stop just before her hooves. It was plain looking thing, the only remarkable thing about being the rainbow colored bow that held it closed. She plucked it from her desk and tugged at the ribbon, scanning the first few lines.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I used to think that I needed a specific type of pony to share my time with, one who loves the sky in the same way I do. What I found instead was somepony who made me appreciate it in a whole new way. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel completely alone in the love of the sky. While I’m not certain exactly what I found, or what it might lead to.

Wherever it goes, I’m glad that I finally found it.

Rainbow Dash

Celestia was smiling as she reached the end of the letter. Ah yes, I remember. It has been a long time since I have received a tale of affection so strong as this. She closed her eyes, dwelling on the note. When she opened them again, she looked down at the note again. It was sitting on one of the smaller piles of paperwork. Sighing again, she set the letter aside and retrieved her quill.

I’d better make some progress, or else I’ll never get this done! Picking up the quill again, she managed to find the will to at least complete most of it before she had to lower the sun for Luna.

The quill barely touched the surface of the scrolls when the chamber doors slammed open. Her head twisted to face the door, spotting a glimpse of something pink before her vision was clouded in white. Celestia stumbled to the floor as wave upon wave of papers, scrolls and dockets flooded over her, intent to bury her, or worse.

As the avalanche subsided, Celestia remained still within its confines. This isn’t so bad. Maybe I can claim the pile injured me, and I can avoid doing this for another week. Or better yet, the courts will see fit to abolish these decrees altogether, for their attempt on their princess’ life. She allowed herself the briefest of giggles when she felt the weight of the papers lifting off of her.

Glimpses of light cut through the mound of paper as stacks were hastily lifted away, all caught in a bright blue glow. Celestia lifted her head, attempting to break free, only to nearly crash into the face of her savior. Her dark, purple eyes were filled with worry, as her horn glowed brightly in an effort to dig out the paper.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Aunt Celestia! Are you alright?”

Enough of the bothersome papers had been removed to allow Celestia to stand. The sheaves of paper fell from her as she stood to her full height. At last she could see who had opened the door and knocked the papers over, as well as the one who was now trying to dig her out. She regarded the young alicorn before her with a stern glance, before shifting it into a welcoming smile.

“I’m fine, Cadence. My day needed a bit of livening up anyways.”

Cadence allowed herself to relax. She smiled up at her aunt, letting the faintest sigh of relief escape her lips. “Oh, good. I would hate to have my visit spoiled by burying you in papers.”

Celestia blinked. “Visit?” She stared at where her desk once sat, now buried in papers. With a quick tug of her magic, she managed to yank out a small calandar from its depths. She scanned through, stopping on one specific page. “Was that today?”

Cadence nodded. “Yes. If I’d known you were so busy, I would have postponed it a few days.” She indicated the pile with a jerk of her hoof.

“I suppose I wasn’t sure that you would have returned so soon.” Celestia allowed the calendar to fall back into the pile, which seemed to absorb the paper greedily back into its mass. The two alicorns regarded the pile for a long, quiet while, before Celestia turned back to her guest, smiling.

“I do believe I’ve at least a warranted a break to spend time with my favorite niece.”

Cadence shot Celestia a confused look. “I’m your only niece.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Have you heard Blueblood whine sometimes? You would swear that he were a filly in a colt’s body sometimes.”

Laughter broke out in the regal chamber, as the two princesses navigated their way around the place that used to be Celestia's desk.

“At least let me help you clean this up,” Cadence offered. “It will give us something to do while we wait for some tea.” Her horn began to glow again, picking up stacks of papers and stacking them neatly along the wall.

“I suppose that is true.” Celestia joined in with her own magic, doubling the efforts to clean up the mess. The two alicorns made short work of the paper-filled monstrosity, stacking the hundreds of sheets against the wall. With each pile, though, Cadence’s expression began to sour.

“I never knew you were so busy, Auntie.”

“Oh, it’s nothing really. The year is usually this busy in the weeks right after the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“What about Luna?”

Celestia smirked. “Oh, I assure you, she gets her fill of paperwork, if not more. The shared weight of the diarchy allows the bureaucrats to put more stress on us, it seems.”

“I guess I should be glad don’t have a place in the courts yet, huh?”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but felt the crinkling of paper underneath her hooves. She glanced down, and saw that she had stepped on an unfurled scroll. She scooped it up in her magic. Her eyes widened as she recognized the letter from earlier, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“What’s that?” Cadence asked.

Celestia jumped slightly, giving her niece a startled look. “O-oh, nothing! Just an old letter. It must have fallen from my desk in the mess.”

Cadence cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really? Then you won’t mind if I... take it!”

Before Celestia could react, Cadence’s magic had ripped the letter from her own. She giggled as she distanced herself from her aunt as she read the letter aloud.

“Dear Princess Celestia. I used to think that I needed a specific type of pony to...”

“W-wait!” Celestia pleaded. “That’s private!”

Cadence trailed off, muttering the letter under her own breath. She fluttered her eyes from line to line at first, but her pace began to slow. Celestia’s breathing quickened and perspiration was beading on her forehead as Cadence read.

Cadence looked up from the letter and met Celestia’s gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash... isn’t that one of Twilight's friends?”

“She is...” Celestia replied slowly.

“Why is she sending you letters like this?”

“Well, originally, Twilight used to send me weekly reports on what she learned about friendship from her time in Ponyville. Now, all of her friends occasionally send letters as well.”

Cadence rolled up the letter, still floating it beside her. “This letter seems a bit more heartfelt to be merely friendship, Auntie.”

Celestia chuckled. “Surely even you could agree that love is a special kind of friendship?”

“Of course.” Cadence nodded. “So, who is she talking about?”

“What do you mean?”

“She mentions that she found something special in a certain somepony, but she doesn’t name who. Do you know?”

Celestia’s eyes darted back and forth, her mind racing to come up with a suitable answer. “I-I’ve hazarded a few guesses, but it is not the place of a princess to pry into the lives of her ponies.”

“Auntie...”

Celestia’s eyes continued to search. She managed to finally control her manic hunt, eventually stealing a glance of a small picture frame. When she looked back to Cadence, she caught her following her gaze. She inhaled sharply as she moved towards the picture, but it was too late. Cadence had already snatched the frame and pulled it towards her.

She held the frame in front of her eyes, which widened in shock as she examined it. She looked up at her aunt, spinning the picture around so Celestia could see. She was trying to hide her reaction, but the gaping mouth of her niece was enough to tell her she had failed. All she could do was stare at the evidence that had condemned her.

It was an old picture. It’s edges had been worn from a life of affectionate attention. The bulk of the image was filled with a blurry shape of white. Celestia knew exactly what the image was: she knew what her own wing looked like, after all. However, it was the little spot of lavender that had tucked itself underneath the feathery mass that was the focus of the aged photo.

She broke her stare from the picture back to Cadence. She was quiet, unblinking. “It’s Twilight? Rainbow Dash is talking about Twilight?”

Celestia sighed wearily. She had been defeated. Never one to be able to keep a secret from her niece, she knew she had been bested. Cadence’s expression was sombre for a moment before she began to grin madly. She shrieked and squealed, hopping in circles around the room.

“Oh how wonderful! Twilight in love! I can’t believe she hasn’t told me! She’s been sending me letters ever since the wedding, but she never mentioned anything like this.”

“It’s because she doesn’t know.”

Cadence stopped bouncing. Celestia was starting directly at her, her mood unphased.

“What do you mean?”

“Twilight has been sending me letters too, about how she has found a stronger friendship in Rainbow Dash. She tells me how they have grown to appreciate the skies together, and spending more time together as friends. She has made no mention of a new romantic relationship.”

“You mean...”

“It seems Miss Dash has not come clean with her feelings to the one it matters most.”

“Oh...” Cadence’s ear’s wilted against her head, and she took a sudden interest in the floor. She scuffed the floor with her hooves. After a long pause, she swiftly lifted her head, eyes fiery and focused. “Well, that’s not good enough.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow as Cadence began to pace across the room. “What do you mean?”

“Unrequited love... It isn’t something I can allow. I have to do something!”

“Do what? Love is something special between two ponies, not something for princesses to meddle with.”

“I am the Princess of Love, Aunt Celestia. If you get to raise the sun, and Luna gets to raise the moon, then I should be able to do something about the matters of unrequited love. It’s a travesty! This is Twilight we’re talking about. Wouldn’t you want to do something for her?”

Celestia sighed. “There is little I would not do for Twilight in a time of need, but this is something she needs to discover for herself. For us to work behind her back like this, for a crush we have no idea whether or not she reciprocates...”

“Well, we can’t do nothing. There must be something...”

The chamber quieted as the two alicorns stood in silence. Celestia walked over to Cadence, resting a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you mean well, Cadence, but this is a matter to be handled delicately. I know love is your domain, but Twilight is close to you as well as me. And furthermore—”

“Um, your Highness?”

Celestia stopped, and both princesses turned to the door. A bookish pegasus with thick set glasses stepped into the chamber warily. He fidgeted with his glasses and dipped into a lengthy bow.

“Yes?” Celestia replied, her voice softening.

The pegasus raised himself from the floor and produced a small envelope from underneath this wing. “Your Majesty, the Head Librarian has finished her yearly catalogue assessment as requested.” He presented the document in his hooves, and Celestia quickly picked it up with her magic.

“Thank you, Mr. Bookend. I’ll see to this right away. We both know how impatient Miss Prose can be.”

Bookend managed a weak smile, before bowing again and retreated from the room, closing the door behind him. Celestia opened the envelope, scanning its contents.

“Well, that’s a first.”

“What is?” Cadence asked.

Celestia levitated the letter over, allowing Cadence to read it. “The Reign of Cranberry House, L’Histoire de Victoire... Are these books?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. Each year the Royal Library checks its stock compared to other Royal Libraries across the world. We all share our knowledge with the world, so we all keep each other in the loop with our catalogues. This is the first time I’ve seen the list so small.”

“Across Equus? So you mean...”

“Great Brayton, Prance... To name a few. I will have to send the royal couriers to handle the exchanges to ensure we get their books, and they get ours.”

“Why don’t you just mail them back and forth?”

“While I wouldn’t wish to say our mail service is fallible, mistakes happen. The International Community of Intellectuals place great value in these books, and many would consider the loss of them a severe insult. It’s just easier to have a trusted source handling the affair. I would even go as far to do it myself, were I not saddled with my duties.”

“Can I do it?”

Celestia laughed. “While I know you would love the experience, a bit of library experience is needed to handle the exchange.”

“Aww,” Cadence pouted. She waved the note back into Celestia’s grip, and trotted over to the window. “Still, it would be a wonderful trip. To see the world. Prance alone would be so romantic. I bet Shin—”

Cadence paused. Celestia heard a sharp inhale from the small alicorn, when she spun around on her hooves. She had a manic smile on her face, her eyes bright with wonder. “That’s it!” she shouted.

Celestia cocked her eyebrows again. “What is?”

“This list! The destinations! A trip of excitement, discovery, and romance! It’s perfect!”

Celestia held her expression. “Perfect for what?”

“For Twilight! Send her with Rainbow Dash to recover the books for you! Twilight is more than qualified to handle the book exchange, and it gives them an intimate experience for them to realise their feelings for each other. It’s beautiful!”

Cadence’s smile grew impossibly large as she skipped with excitement. Celestia took a moment to compose herself, considering the thought.

“So you are suggesting that I send my prized pupil and one of her friends that has confessed to having affection for said student, together, by themselves, on a trip across the world?”

Cadence smiled brightly and nodded.

“What about her other friends? The last time I sent Twilight tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, she sent them back, saying she wouldn’t go without all her friends.”

Cadence's smile faded, but only slightly. “That is a good point. But it’s hardly something we can’t solve.”

“Solve how, pray tell?”

“Don’t start talking like Aunt Luna, Auntie. Just a little modifications of some schedules.”

Cadence grabbed a blank scroll from the pile of papers, and with a flick of a quill, she began to write. Celestia sighed and stood beside her niece, surveying what she was planning. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Love is never something to regret, Auntie, unless you let it get away.”

Chapter Seven

Dreams and Disasters

by Quillery

Chapter Seven

West Coast Friendship

“Say something else in Prancy, Twi,” Dash asked, stepping out of the train station. The air was cool and crisp, still clinging to the morning chill. The mist settled into Dash’s feathers, and her body shivered with delight.

Twilight giggled softly and brought a hoof to her chin. “Well… Let’s see…” Her mouth frowned in thought before it curved into a thin smile. “Que voulez-vous faire en premier?”

Dash scratched her head, tilting it from side to side. After a while, she sighed. “Oh, ok. I give up. What did you say?”

Twilight laughed again. “I said: what do you want to do first?”

“Ohhh… Well, I thought we could look around.”

Outside the station, Dash and Twilight found themselves on a wide street branching in several directions. The pavement was far smoother underhoof here than it had been in Buckingham. There wasn’t a stone out of place along the road or the sidewalks, and instead of roughly hewn stones, the streets were made of a white marble very similar to the ones that graced Canterlot’s roads.

The ponies walking the streets, on the other hoof, were something Dash recognized all too quickly. They walked about with excessive rigidity, staunch superiority or overwhelming smugness.

Dash sighed wearily. Buckingham had a charming hominess with a level of politeness she hadn’t expected. She had only been in Cheval for less than an hour and had a feeling why Rarity was so upset she couldn’t come. Prim and proper ponies as far as the eye could see, lavishly decorated buildings and pristinely cleaned roads.

Twilight’s expression brightened as she looked around. “Oh my!” she exclaimed, lowering her book. “The streets are so clean, and the buildings are so well made. It’s almost like being back in Canterlot.”

“Yeah… Just like home…”

Twilight either didn’t notice Dash’s sardonic tone, or didn’t mind it enough to stop her excited trot down the road.

It wasn’t long before Twilight stopped again. She was staring at a row of white brick buildings on both sides of a wide street. She spun around, facing Dash with a wide grin on her face. “What should we do first?”

“Uh, well…” Dash thought a moment. “What’s the plan for this leg of the trip?”

“Um…” Twilight floated out a small piece of paper and scanned its contents. “We aren’t scheduled to meet with the Queen of Prance until tomorrow morning.”

“Are we having breakfast with her?”

“I don’t think so. I got the feeling from Celestia that Queen Victoire was busy, and we wouldn’t have much time to talk with her. We might not meet her at all, to be honest.”

“Queen Victoire?

“It means ‘victory’ in plain Equestrian. History tells that all her female ancestors were born on the same date, which happens to be an important moment in Prance’s history. So as homage, the royalty name their firstborn daughter Victoire, to celebrate their victory of ages past.”

“And that victory would be…”

“Ah, ah. One step at a time. Let’s have a look at the map and see where we can go. There must be a museum around somewhere.”

Twilight popped open her bag and pulled out her map. Dash strode up beside her as she unfolded it, and looked over the spiderweb of streets drawn on the sheet.

“Wow,” Dash said. “This place is huge.”

“Yes, Cheval is one of the largest of the eastern colonies. It had the greatest diversity between the clans and their cultures, and experienced a rather explosive growth in the first few centuries.”

Twilight scanned the map, placing her hoof on a spot near the city’s edge. “We should be around here, so there might be something—"

A gust of wind lanced through the lane, bristling the map in Twilight’s magical grip. Her horn glowed brighter to hold on, but the wind proved relentless in its gale. The map was torn from her and sailed down the street. Twilight let out a strangled noise as she took off after it.

Dash flared her wings and bounded into the air to take chase, but the winds picked up again and caught her off guard, sending her back to the ground. She tried to right herself for another attempt, but Twilight had stopped running, and the map was nowhere to be seen.

Twilight’s head slumped down as she turned back to Dash. She was breathing heavily and frowning. “Now—huff—what? That was my only map of Cheval!”

“I’m sure we can get another one, Twi. There has to be a visitor’s center somewhere.”

“I guess, but mine had all kinds of annotations and notes. Now I’ll have to redo them.”

“Or we could wing it,” Dash said, smirking.

Twilight returned the smirk. “Let’s just go find the visitors center.”

Dash pointed down the lane. “After you.”

*****

A small bell above the door rang as Dash and Twilight stepped inside a small office. As best as Twilight was able to explain, the building was labeled ‘Cheval City Tours’ and had a good chance of offering maps of the city.

The bell rang again as the door shut behind them. The lobby was decorated in wooden racks filled with magazines and sheafs of paper with bright colors. Behind the desk was a large framed map of the city in many different colors.

The desk itself was vacant. A steaming cup of tea sat alone on the desk with a small stack of papers and some quills.

“Hello?” Twilight called out. “Anypony here?”

“Juste un moment!” a voice called from the back room.

After a minute, an earth pony mare entered from the door behind the desk. Her curly golden mane bounced with each step, and her light blue dress skirted the floor gracefully. Her deep, olive eyes were brightened by her brilliant smile as she seemed to float into the room.

“Bonjour,” she said. “Comment puis-je vous aider aujourd'hui?”

Twilight chuckled. “Nous avons perdu notre carte. Nous nous demandions si nous pouvions en acheter une ici?”

The clerk tilted her head. “Vous étes pas de Cheval êtes-vous?”

Twilight giggled, followed by a sigh and turned to Dash. “I guess I can’t hide my accent no matter what language I speak.”

Dash chuckled. “Well, can we get a map here or not?”

“Ah,” the clerk said. “You are Equestrians. Now I see.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, “you speak Equestrian.”

The clerk waved a hoof. “I dabble in most languages. It makes helping tourists much easier if you know what they are saying.” She grinned.

“Oh I agree. You speak Equestrian quite well.”

The clerk bowed her head. “Thank you. And you speak Prançais expertly. My name is Vanille, and welcome to my shop. What can I help you with today?”

“Well, we lost our map to a gust of wind, so we were wondering what kinds you might have here.”

“Ah, yes, the summer winds can do that. Well we have a large selection of maps fit for tourists.”

Vanille walked around her desk towards her magazine display. “As you can see, we have a selection of maps split between the various districts of the city, or the city as a whole, if you wish a broader sense of Cheval.”

Twilight stepped up to the display and browsed through with her magic. “Hmm, these all look so detailed. I wouldn’t even know where to start!”

“Is there anything in particular you are looking to see?”

“Oh, we were definitely looking to see some of the art galleries.”

“Yeah…” Dash said. "Gotta see those galleries.”

Vanille glanced at Dash, eyebrow raised. She quickly shook her head and turned back to Twilight. “Well, if it’s the galleries you seek, we do offer personal tours if that interests you.”

“Ooh! That does sound like a good idea, doesn’t it, Dash?”

“Uh… I thought it woulda been cool to just search around on our own, Twi. Y’know, just to two of us exploring the city. Feels kinda cheap if we just have somepony showing us around.”

Twilight turned to face her, eyes bright. “But think of the insider knowledge we could learn from somepony who knows the city. We would see so much more detail than if you just wandered aimlessly.”

“Eh…” Dash said. She rubbed her neck. “If you really want to, I guess.”

“Wonderful!” Vanille exclaimed. “Let me see who is available to guide you.”

Vanille walked towards the back, shouting. “Chercheur! Nous avons un client!”

She stopped at the door, listening. There was no answer, and she tilted her head. “Chercheur, où étes-vous?” she called again.

Still no answer. After a moment, a brown spotted stallion stepped into the lobby from the back. “Desole, madame. Chercheur est deja on mission.”

“Êtes-vous le seul ici, Bastille?”

The stallion nodded, and Vanille sighed.

Dash frowned and leaned towards Twilight. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not sure.” Twilight took a step towards Vanille. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

Vanille turned to Twilight, frowning. “It seems all of my tour guides are currently occupied. It is just me and my assistant left.”

“Oh…” Twilight slumped her head slightly and turned back to the displays. “I guess we can survive with some maps then if no pony is available to show us around.”

Bastille cleared his throat. “Madame, je peux surveiller le magasin si vous voulez.”

Vanille scoffed. “Vous ne pouvez pas être sérieux. Ça fait tellement longtemps que j’ai personnellement guidé.”

Bastille shrugged. “Un client est un client. Vous étiez le première d'entre nous.”

Vanille rolled her eyes and turned back to Twilight and Dash. “My assistant suggest that I guide you myself.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Twilight said. “You probably know all the best places if this is your business.”

Vanille’s face reddened softly. “Oh please, you flatter me. It is true that I started this service, but it has been so long since I’ve personally guided anypony.”

“We wouldn’t mind, would we, Dash?”

“Uh, no. It sounds like it could be fun.” Dash let out a weak chuckle.

Vanille’s expression brightened. “If you two don’t mind, then I would love to be your guide.” Her grin widened. “And I know exactly where to start!”

*****

Following Vanille, Twilight and Dash were led deeper into the city, passing by dozens of shops, homes and galleries. They traveled at a generous pace, and eventually found themselves in the middle of a large city square. Rows of stone posts lined the ends of the street, and vacant carriages sat beside them, too wide to pass through.

The ground beyond the posts was covered in smooth stone blocks. As Dash stepped up past the barrier, she scuffed her hoof across the pristine surface. She didn’t even leave a mark as she cut across them, and the tips of her hooves almost glided at the touch.

The sun was cresting high in the sky, and there were few clouds hanging in the sky above. An enormous fountain lay in the middle of a network of roads all meeting in the center.

“Where are we?” Dash asked.

“I think we’re in the cultural district of the city,” Twilight said.

“Correct,” Vanille said. She pointed at the fountain. “That fountain is the work of one of Prance’s most famous sculptors, Marble de Chevalier. His artistic mind built half of Cheval.”

“Oh my... I’ve only seen pictures of this place, but to see it up close...”

Dash took a second look at the fountain. It stood storeys tall, and had many different layers, not unlike an extravagant cake. The bottom-most layer had pairings of every pony race, mare and stallion, spitting gouts of water from their stony mouths into the bottom pool. The next few tiers were of creatures Dash had never seen before. They looked like ponies on one end, but their other halves looked more like fish. “What are those?”

“I think they’re sea ponies.”

“Sea-Ponies?”

Twilight nodded. “Sea-Ponies are one of the oldest legends of the eastern colonies. Their stories had a pretty big impact on artisans over the centuries, and de Chevalier was no exception.”

“H-uh.” Dash shrugged and looked at the top of the fountain. Suspended by the waters was a shimmering blue stone. It spun and bobbed in the hold of the water, but did not waver or lose balance. The light of the sun struck the stone in such a way that the waters of the fountain glowed a deep, sapphire blue.

“And what the hay is that?”

“It is the Heart of Prance,” Vanille said.

Dash stared at her.

“It is a very rare gemstone that our ancestors discovered deep within the earth. Prance is known for supplying the world with valuable gemstones. It is thought that Prance sits on one of Equus’ main ley lines, which is why their minerals are so enriched with it.”

“And they just let their most precious gem sit in a water fountain in the middle of the road?”

Vanille laughed. “That is not the real Heart of Prance. It is merely a gemstone that resembles it. The real one sits on the crown of the… well, the current crowned queen of Prance.”

Dash blinked, and then narrowed her eyes on the floating gem. “I bet Rarity would love to have seen it. The real one I mean.”

She grinned and glanced at Vanille, but her smiled quickly faded. Vanille was staring with a peculiar look. Her smile was soft and her lips pursed. What startled Dash the most was the look in her eye. The look of wanting, desire, that Dash was all too familiar with. And it was aimed directly at Twilight.

Twilight nodded turned her head towards Vanille, whose expression vanished the second she did, melting into a plain smile. “What else is around here to see, Vanille?

“De Chevalier’s museum is just over there,” she said, pointing beyond the fountain. “I imagine if you enjoyed this, you will enjoy his other work as well.”

“I’d love to.” Twilight smiled and turned to Dash. “Doesn’t that sound fun, Dash?”

Dash stared in the direction Twilight was facing, but her mind was elsewhere. The way Vanille was staring at Twilight raised a full alert in her brain. Dash had enough trouble with handling her own feelings for Twilight, but the look in Vanille’s eyes was sign enough that she had somepony else to worry about.

She looked at Twilight, who was still staring at her, waiting for a response. And this Vanille knows exactly what to do to show Twilight a good time here. I’m gonna have to keep an eye on her. “Yeah, sound’s good, Twi. It’s just gonna be a bunch of pretty pictures, right?”

*****

A few pretty pictures were the least of Dash’s problems, as she staggered through the marble halls of De Chevalier’s gallery. Twilight kept ahead of her in an energetic skip, chatting excitedly with Vanille. “That was so interesting! I never knew that modern art was so integrated in Prance’s culture. I always imagined them to still hold to the Reneighssance’s standards.”

“That held true until De Chevalier’s passing many centuries ago,” Vanille said. “He had amassed a selection of potentials under his tutelage that were to carry on his legacy. Many did. Some, however, were quick to find ways to evolve the medium.”

Dash stopped just behind them as they arrived at the entrance to another exhibit. She didn’t notice any more sculptures in this room. Instead, it was filled with various paintings along the walls. They were framed in gold, and hidden behind glass panes, keeping the attendees several feet away.

She kept her attention on Vanille as best she could without either her or Twilight catching on. The deeper into the museum they got, Vanille found plenty of reasons to get closer to Twilight, while Dash kept feeling pushed aside by Vanille’s explanations.

“As you can see, the way of the easel also grew in popularity under De Chevalier’s students. This hall is dedicated to the most prolific of his descendants, Jolie Image.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked around the room. “Jolie Image? Really? Her paintings are all over Canterlot. I remember seeing them when I was little.” Twilight started into the room, glancing in every direction. Dash moved to keep up with Twilight, and Vanille filed in beside her. She didn’t say anything to her, instead continuing her descriptions.

“Indeed, Jolie Image is known throughout the world. She is not even so ancient compared to De Chevalier, perhaps only five centuries at most.”

Dash looked at the pictures along the wall. Many of them were depictions of untouched valleys. Some of them reminded her of Equestria, some of Great Brayton, and others of places she had never seen before. “Hey, Twi. Look at this one.”

Dash turned her head and saw that Twilight and Vanille had already moved on to the next exhibit. They were still chatting, and Twilight was laughing and smiling. Dash frowned and focused her glare on Vanille. She broke into a quick trot to catch up, catching bits of their conversation as she caught up.

“...Oh yes.” Vanille continued. “She strove to see the world and paint it all, and she almost succeeded. There were many places beyond her reaches at the time, but there was little she did not see in her journeys.”

“Oh, that’s amazing. I would love to see the world like her. She sounds so adventurous.”

Dash grinned. “Just like Daring Do, huh?”

Twilight didn’t answer. Her attention was focused on another painting that Vanille had pointed out. Dash’s frown deepened and she started to grit her teeth.

Twilight stopped suddenly and collapsed to her haunches, staring up at an enormous painting that filled an entire wall. Dash glanced up, her eyes widening as she saw what was on it.

“Is that...”

“...Celestia?” Twilight completed.

On the far wall of the exhibit, in a frame of carved gold, silver and jewels was a giant portrait of Celestia, standing in her throne room. Her smile seemed to glow in the brightly painted piece, and she almost seemed ready to awaken and step out as if she were actually there.

But she was not the only one in the picture. Beside her was another mare. Smaller by comparison, but no less beautiful. She was an alabaster white unicorn, with dazzling blue eyes. Her mane, too, was a sapphire blue, and seemed to radiate in the skillfully painted painting. A flowing white dress trimmed with blue completed her image, almost matching Celestia’s brilliance.

“Who’s that?” Dash asked.

“That,” Vanille said, “is Queen Victoire.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “She’s been to Canterlot? How come I never heard of it?” She scratched her head. “And how would Joile Image have painted this if she was five hundred years old?”

Vanille giggled. “Because, that is Queen Victoire, the First. The first queen in the current royal line, ruling over Prance during Image’s time.”

“Oh, right... Duh.”

Dash glanced down at Twilight, who was finally picking herself off the floor. Her eyes were still fixed on the painting and her mouth was hanging open just a bit.

“What do you think of it, Miss Twilight?” Vanille asked.

Twilight didn’t answer at first. She approached the painting with cautious steps until she was as close as the glass barrier would allow. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen Celestia like this before. Image had a real gift to create this.”

“Indeed,” Vanille agreed. “It was a sad day when she passed, even more so than when we lost De Chevalier. Prance is defined by many things, but its artists are one of its greatest treasures. It is unfortunate that they are treasures that we cannot truly keep forever.”

The three mares stood in silence. The occasional quiet echo of other hoofsteps rang out from the other guests as they regarded the giant portrait. Vanille and Twilight started to quietly whisper between themselves in Prancy, and Dash started to grumble to herself.

It isn’t bad enough that they’re ignoring me, now I can’t even understand them. Dash sighed and sat down, casting a glare in Vanille’s direction. And she’s probably flirting with her or something, right in front of me, and if I say anything against it, I'll end up admitting everything.

“What else do you think we should see, Dash?” Twilight asked.

Dash shook her thoughts from her head and shrugged. “I dunno.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. There must be something you want to see.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure, why don’t you ask your new best friend?”

Twilight blinked, and then frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve been feeling kinda ignored since we got here. You keep going ahead without me and leaving me like the third wheel.”

“What are you talking about? We’ve all been enjoying ourselves here. Haven’t we?”

“Well, the paintings are pretty cool, I guess. But I wasn’t all that excited about the galleries in the first place.”

Dash slapped a hoof to her mouth, but it was too late. Twilight’s expression wilted and her eyes drifted to the floor. “Twi… I didn’t mean it like that.”

She glanced to Vanille, who had draped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder. Dash scowled a moment, when Twilight lifted her head again.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking. I should have realized that you might not enjoy this, Dash.”

Vanille cleared her throat. “Now, now. The galleries of Prance are not for everypony. And I would think that anypony who would accompany you through something she herself might not enjoy is a special friend indeed.”

Dash watched Twilight bring her head up and peer at Vanille. She smiled and nodded, and then Twilight turned to face Dash herself.

Dash swallowed a lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, Twi. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I guess I just wanted to share the experience with you."

Twilight sighed, then she smiled. “It’s ok. I’m glad you wanted to come.” Twilight stepped forward and placed her hoof on Dash’s shoulder.

Dash tensed at the contact and turned her head away, rubbing the back of her neck hastily. “Since it’s just me, I’d hate to leave you alone.”

“Spoken like a true friend,” Vanille said. “Now, if you would like to see a different side of the city, I think I know just the place that might entertain you, Miss Dash.”

Dash hid her disapproval as she regarded Vanille with a terse nod. “Lead the way, I guess.” But I got my eye on you.

*****

After the museum, Vanille led Dash and Twilight away from the brilliant white streets of the cultural district. The roads shifted from white to a pale red as the marble roads turned to brick. The buildings, too seemed to change from immaculate design to plain storefronts.

“So where were you planning on taking us next, Vanille?” Twilight asked.

“I thought you would enjoy seeing the old city as well. There aren’t many museums here, but it is a cultural marvel of its own. This is where Cheval began, with the hard workers of this wonderful city.”

Dash glanced around. “It kinda reminds me of south Manehatten. It might not look like much, there is a lot more life in places like this than you can see.”

“Oui, exactement. Most ponies forget that these hard workers are the lifeblood of our great country. I make a note to visit as often as I can.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes on Vanille. “In those expensive clothes? I know at least one pony who would have a fit if she saw you getting those dirty.”

Vanille waved a hoof. “Bah, clothes like these can be replaced easily.” She gestured out at the ponies surrounding the roads. “But them… They are invaluable to keep the city strong.”

Twilight lifted her head to scan the crowds. They all had smiles on their faces as they moved about, exchanging pleasantries with their coworkers, friends, or family. It took some time, but eventually, Twilight began to smile herself. “I guess there is something special here. More so than the art galleries, I guess.”

“I did not mean to devalue the galleries, Miss Twilight. They too are a vital piece of our culture. Many ponies merely mistake it to be the only part worth noting. How did you like them?”

“I enjoyed them a lot. There is a lot of Prance’s history and culture that I am unfamiliar with, so it was a nice experience.”

Vanille smiled and turned to Dash. “And you? What did you think of our history?”

“Well…” Dash scratched her neck. “The art was… interesting. But I was hoping to learn about these wars I’ve been hearing so much about.”

Vanille laughed. “Wars? There hasn’t been a war in centuries, and Prance was hardly involved, if at all.”

Dash stared at Vanille. “Then why would they name their queen ‘Victoire’ if they weren’t involved in the war?”

“Well, we had some involvement, as history recalls, in the Gryphon Rebellions many years ago. Prance supplied a great deal of relief to Germane, as well as the diplomats necessary to end the conflict before it got worse.”

Dash sat up in her seat, wings flaring. “The Gryphon Rebellions? Germane?” Dash looked at Twilight, who was nodding. “Is that one of the places we’re scheduled to go to?”

Twilight nodded again, and Dash began to grin. “That sounds so awesome!”

Vanille giggled. “You certainly have interesting tastes. I always thought that Equestrians were—oof!

Vanille was cut short when she walked into something, or rather, somepony. The three mares looked up and saw a towering pair of stallions in black caps and dark clothing peering down at them. They were smiling with crooked smiles and twinkles of malice in their eyes. Vanille was the first to gasp and back away slowly, Twilight and Dash eventually following suit.

“Quel bonheur, mon frère,” The larger stallion said to his companion. “Nous avons trouvé trois petites souris, toute seule.”

“Et ils semblent précieuses,” the smaller one said. “Monsieur Ruby sera très heureux.”

The two stallions advanced towards the mares with slow, purposeful steps. Dash ducked in her hover between Vanille and Twilight to the ground. “Uh, who are these guys?”

“I don’t know Dash,” Twilight said. “Vanille, what are they talking about?”

Vanille met Twilight’s gaze, if only for a moment before looking back at the approaching goons. “I believe they mean to procure us for monetary gain.”

“Huh?” Dash said.

“We need to run, now!” She spun on her hooves and bolted down the street, Dash and Twilight close behind. The two stallions growled and chased after them.

Twilight gasped as she glanced behind her. “They want to ponynap us?”

“Why can’t we just fight these goons?” Dash asked.

“Because there will certainly be more of them very close. If we stay, we only delay capture. Please, believe me when I say that running is our best course of action.”

“If you can lead us out of here, Vanille, I can distract them,” Twilight said.

Vanille nodded again “Of course.”

Twilight screeched to a halt and spun on her hooves, facing the two stallions. They stopped, frowning. They soon continued their advance, splitting apart to surround the three mares, their frowns shifting to amused smiles. “Cette petite souris est aggressive. Ca va sûrement doubler la valeur.”

“Messieus,” Twilight said as her horn began to glow. The two stallions halted again. “Avec respect, doublez çela!”

A bright violet glow encircled the larger of the stallions. His eyes widened as he floated off the ground. He kicked his legs out as he rose higher, and uttered a strangled cry before he went sailing into a nearby wall with a crack!

The smaller stallion stared, bug eyed at his accomplice and then back to Twilight. “Sacre—”

He almost finished his statement before he was given the same treatment as his friend, and thrown into an opposite wall.

Twilight smirked, and turned to Dash and Vanille. They stared in stunned silence, mouths hanging open and eyes wide.

“How did you do that, Twi?” Dash said.

“I grew up with Shining Armor. My BBBFF made sure I knew how to defend myself.”

“Incroyable…” Vanille muttered. “I’ve never met a unicorn with such power.”

Twilight chuckled. “That? Power? You can learn something like that from elementary school, easy. Although, even I couldn’t sink that much power into it back then.” Twilight glanced down at the two thugs, who were completely still. “Maybe I went a little overboard.”

Dash darted forward and grabbed Twilight’s hoof. “You can worry about that later. We gotta get out of here.” She spun on Vanille, who was still muttering under her breath. “You said you knew somewhere to hide?”

Vanille shook her head, her eyes regaining their focus. She stared at Dash a second and nodded. “There are a few places that I think we could go. It depends on how many they have looking for me, though.”

“Good enough for me. Start leading the way, and I’ll keep an eye on the skies. Maybe I can find some guards.”

“Good idea, Dash. We’ll find somewhere to hide, you know how to find me.”

Dash nodded and peeled off into the sky in a streak of color.

“She is easily excited, that one,” Vanille said

“Vous n'avez aucune idée.” Twilight replied. Now let’s get going before more of them show up.”

Author's Note

Sorry in advance for my horrendous French grammar. It's been so long since I've actively used the language in French Immersion. I try to confer with whatever dictionaries and grammar that I have left from the halcyon days, but there will inevitably be holes somewhere, so to any residents of France out there, sorry!

Chapter Eighteen

Dreams and Disasters
by Quillery

Chapter 18

Cave In

Dash pushed her way through the gathering crowd in the narrow hallway. She made it to the front just in time to see two stallions bracing a gurney between them as they exited the Wonderbolts’ locker room.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Dash always held Spitfire as the epitome of the pegasus aesthetic. A brightly colored mane, slicked back as if always swept back by a high speed wind. Perfectly preened and trimmed feathers, and an expression of confidence and pride.

Instead now, her face looked more like a rotten watermelon.

Her cheeks bloated and burned red, with blotches all over her coat. Swollen flesh grew around her eyes as tears oozed from them. She wheezed for air as she lay in a heap on the gurney. The medics pushed past the gawkers and out of the locker rooms, leaving a trail of concerned whispers behind them.

“She looked awful,” Dash said.

“What could have happened to her?” Twilight said.

“I dunno, but I’m gonna find out.”

Dash pushed her way towards the locker room. A pair of armored stallions, much like the ones from Canterlot, stood at the door and blocked her. “Nopony is allowed in.”

“You gotta let me talk to Soarin’. My name is Rainbow Dash. I know some of the Wonderbolts.”

“I don’t care if you’re the Princess Celestia’s pet bird. You aren’t getting in.”

“What about Princess Celestia’s personal student?” Twilight said.

The guards looked at Twilight and gasped. “M-Miss Sparkle. What are you doing here?”

“Right now I’d like to find out what happened to an Equestrian athlete. If you gentlecolts would be so kind as to step aside, I’d like to offer my support.”

The guards bowed their heads. “O-of course, go right in. Soarin’ is just inside. He can tell you more.”

Twilight nodded at Dash and hurried into the room. More guards and medics were on the inside, talking with members of the team. A black maned pegasus glanced towards them and broke away from the group to meet with them.

“Soarin’?” Dash asked.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash. Good to see you.” He glanced around the room. “Well, I wish it wasn’t such a bad time.”

“Yeah, we just saw Spitfire. What happened to her, Soarin’?”

Soarin tossed his head and snorted. “You tell me. Everything’s gone crazy since she went down. I was just walking in when she almost stopped breathing and turned red.”

Dash nudged Twilight. “Well, Twilight here is a bonafide detective. If anypony can figure out what happened, it’s her.”

Twilight’s cheeks tinged red. “I’ve solved a few mysteries I suppose. Can I see her locker?”

Soarin nodded. “Yeah. It’s this one.” He led them to an opened locker. Photos of Spitfire were taped to the inside, some with her in her Wonderbolts uniform, some of her and her brother when they were little, and many of her and her team.

“Spitfire takes those pictures with her everywhere,” Soarin said, smiling weakly. “Even to away shows. She likes to feel at home no matter where she is.”

Twilight peered into the locker. She shifted objects around inside with her magic, taking things out and laying them on the ground. Each object drifted past her face closely as she sniffed them and scrutinized them narrow glances.

“Twi! What are you doing?” Dash shouted. “You’re gonna catch whatever got her!”

“That’s unlikely, Dash.” Twilight said, still clearing out the locker. “If it were an airborne contagion, everypony here would be sick.”

Twilight finished emptying the locker. She cleared a spot on the floor and arranged everything neatly. “Her things are very clean. They don’t even seem used.”

“Yeah, Spitfire always has new outfits for every show. As nice as the suits are, they soak up B.O. pretty bad. No matter how many times you wash ‘em, they always smell a bit. She can’t stand it.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose. “I can see why.”

Dash smirked. She trotted around the room, looking for anything out of place while Twilight examined Spitfire’s belongings. As she drifted away from Twilight, however, she felt her attention fail her. The excitement of what had happened to Spitfire had taken over, but after Twilight had calmly taken over the investigation, that original focus to help had waned. She tried to focus on helping Spitfire, but her mind continued to wander to what had happened just moments before.

Gilda has a crush on me… I can’t believe it. Why did I never see it?

Probably for the same reason Twilight hasn’t noticed you right now: she isn’t looking for it.

I… guess I wasn’t looking either, back then. Maybe I would’ve noticed after that night on my roof.

I never imagined Gilda would be as much of a coward as you.

Shut up...

Now imagine how you were back then, with Gilda having these feelings for. And now imagine yourself in her position, with Twilight playing your part.

Dash’s heart twisted in her chest, and the pain almost strangled her.

Yes… you feel it. That complete and utterly ignored feeling of rejection hurts doesn’t it?

Shut up. Twilight won’t reject me.

Like you’ll ever find out at this rate.

Dash shook herself out of her mind, bringing herself back to the locker room. She had stumbled around in her trance, finding herself on the other side of the room. She turned to listen to Twilight continue her investigation.

“Soarin’, where was Spitfire when she collapsed?” Twilight asked.

“She was right here, finishing her—”

The door burst open and a golden pegasus stallion with a fiery mane came rushing into the room. If Dash didn’t know any better, Dash would have assumed him to be a male doppelganger of Spitfire, but she recognized her twin brother Rapidfire easily.

“Where is she!?” Rapidfire shouted.

“Easy, Rapidfire,” Soarin’ said. “The medics already took her.”

“Don’t ‘easy’ me! My sister. Stopped. Breathing!”

“They gave her something to stop the swelling. She’s gonna be fine.”

“You don’t know that! What even happened to her?”

Soarin’ threw his hooves in the air. “I don’t know, dude. I was just walking in when it happened. The docs were moving so fast, they didn’t even say anything.”

Rapidfire frowned. “It’s those Barons. I bet anything they had a claw in this.”

Soarin’ glared at him. “What are you saying, dude?”

“Sabotage, that’s what.” Dash and Twilight gasped, and he nodded. “Her event was next, and she always beats the Barons. Ever since she made captain she’s made a fool of them. I know it was them”

Soarin shook his head. “Dude, that’s a pretty harsh accusation. The Barons have always been good sports.”

Rapidfire scoffed. “You always have to see the bright side of everyone, don’t you, Soarin’?”

Soarin glared at Rapidfire, when Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this arguing isn’t getting us anywhere. I need to know where Spitfire was when she collapsed.”

Soarin pointed to a bench across the room, right next to where Dash was standing. “Like I was trying to say, she was just over there when she fell over as I came in.”

Twilight looked at Dash. “Do you see anything?”

Dash glanced around. The only thing near her was a garbage can. She looked inside, and felt a tug at her stomach. She tore her head away, swallowing bile. “Ugh, what’s left of somepony’s lunch, I think.”

Soarin shuddered. “Yeah, that’d be Spitfire’s probably. She always eats some disgusting salad from Fleece before her events. It smells awful.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed on the can. She floated it over with her magic and peered inside.

“Ugh. Twi, that’s gross,” Dash said, covering her mouth.

“No, it’s evidence.” Twilight said. “While Fleece salads are low in calories, they are high in other nutrients that an athlete would want. A world class athlete like Spitfire would know that.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and floated a small, bright red object out of the can. “But as far as I know, Fleece salads aren’t commonly made with pomegranate seeds.”

Rapidfire gasped. “Spitfire is allergic to pomegranates.”

Soarin frowned. “Why didn’t I know that?”

Rapidfire shook his head. “Her stupid pride. She sees her allergy as a weakness, so she kept it a secret. Only me and the team doctor know. Since we’re rarely apart, she didn’t think it would be a big deal.” He glanced at the garbage can. “And there’s no way she would be stupid enough to not check it when she got it.”

“Then it is sabotage!” Dash shouted. “Why those no good, dirty rotten, stinking cheating Barons.” She started towards the exit. “When I get my hooves on them, I’ll—”

“Wait, Dash.” Twilight said.

Dash turned to her. “Why? We have proof, isn’t that what we needed?”

Twilight shook her head. “We have proof that someone tried to hurt Spitfire intentionally, yes. But nothing tying it to the Barons. How would they have known?”

“They probably overheard her talking about it with her doctor.”

This time, Rapidfire shook his head. “Not a chance. They keep rival teams apart from each other during the games. It’s mostly to keep down the trash talk, but there are other reasons. Reasons like this.”

Dash hung her head. “Well, then who else could have done it?”

Twilight scratched her head. “I’m not sure. There are plenty of possibilities besides the Barons. The other competitors, for instance...” She let go of the garbage can and let it clatter to the ground. She watched it spin on its edges as it rolled to a stop. She gasped. “The garbage can…”

“What about the garbage can?”

“Be right back!” Twilight shouted. There was a flash of purple light, and Twilight was gone.

Soarin’ and Rapidfire blinked rapidly. “What the hay was that?” Soarin’ said.

Dash shrugged. “Just Twilight being Twilight. You get used to—”

The door burst open. Twilight hurried into the room and shut the door behind her. Floating beside her was another garbage can.

Dash frowned. “Twi, what is it with you and garbage cans now?”

Twilight stared at her with a hard, seething look. There was a rising anger in Twilight’s eyes, tempered with failing restraint. “It’s not the garbage can, Dash. It’s what’s inside it.”

Twilight set the can down, and pulled something out of it. Floating in the air, oozing and half eaten was a bright red fruit. “Its the pomegranate that Gilda’s brother was eating.”

“Gilda?” Rapidfire said. “You mean the gryphon Chancellor’s niece?”

Soarin’ nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen those two around, schmoozing with the Barons.”

Dash stared at the fruit suspended in the air. So many conflicting doubts were raging in her mind. The confusion at Gilda’s attitude, her supposed crush, and now this. Dash felt a war between love and hate festering within her. Her understanding of friendship and betrayal was crashing against one another, and she didn’t know which side to believe in anymore.

“Dash?”

Dash shook her head. Twilight was there beside her, staring at her. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Do you think Gilda might know anything about this?”

Dash sighed. “I don’t know, Twi.” She gently brushed Twilight’s leg aside and got to her hooves. She arched her head low and trotted to the door. “But I’m gonna find out.”

*****

Dash wasted no time galloping out of the Wonderbolts’ locker room and started banging on the Baron’s locker room door. A moment later, a red clad gryphon opened the door. He peered down at Dash with narrowed eyes. “Ja?”

Dash blinked. “I...uh…”

Twilight cleared her throat as she appeared beside Dash. “"Wir müssen mit der NIchte und dem Neffen des Kanzlers sprechen.”

The gryphon blinked. “Einen Augenblick.” He shut the door, leaving Dash and Twilight standing in the hall.

“Dash, I really don’t think this is the best idea.”

“You can’t tell me you don’t think they could be behind this. Gilda has always a competitive streak, and I bet her brother is the same way.”

“But you just reconciled!” Twilight paused. “Well, almost. But still. If you throw these accusations at her, after what happened before Spitfire…”

For the first time during the entire trip, Dash felt a blush coming on with Twilight staring directly at her. She tried to fight it away, but the look in Twilight’s eyes was enough to tell her she’d been caught. She shook her head. “Whatever Gilda’s deal with me is, it’s not important right now. One of my idols has been hurt, and one of my former best friends might have had a claw in it, so I’m gonna go find out for sure.”

“It might not be that simple, Dash. There’s proof of foul play, but no hard evidence of who did it. All we have is a plausible motive, a barely plausible motive!”

At that moment, the door opened and Sigur stepped out. As soon as he saw the two of them, he smirked. “Oh look, the lovebird is back. Are you here to serenade little Geegee of your true feelings?”

Dash’s eyes narrowed. She growled as Sigur chuckled to himself, and in response she flapped her wings, jumping a foot into the air and reared her head back. In one quick motion, she surged herself forward with another pump of her wings, and swung her head into Sigur’s face.

Sigur lurched back and fell through the partially opened door. He crashed to his back into the locker room. His eyes spun in their sockets as Dash landed beside him. “Serenade that, you big jerk!”

Dash looked into the locker room. A hoofful of Red Barons stood scattered in the room, staring at her. Sitting on a row of benches in the middle was Gilda and Mace with widened eyes.

“What the heck was that for, Dash?!” Gilda shouted.

“I was tired of hearing him make fun of me, for one.” Dash glared at Mace, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And I wasn’t interested in dealing with your brother’s bodyguard.”

Mace scoffed. “That’s a strange word to use. Do ponies not know how to speak properly?”

“Can it, beakbrain. I wanna know why you poisoned Spitfire!”

Mace’s amused grin faded instantly. Gilda stood from her bench. “What are you talking about, Dash?”

“Did you not hear all that racket outside? Spitfire just got hauled away to the hospital because someone poisoned her!”

“And you think my brother had something to do with it?!” Gilda raged. “Where do you get off accusing him of something like that?”

“Because he’s the one who had a pomegranate in his claws seconds before she got hurt!”

Mace shook his head. “That’s a wild accusation,” he said calmly. “The caterers are sponsored from Fleece, where pomegranates are a delicacy. They were everywhere in the meal room. Anyone could have done it.”

“So what better way to suck up to the team you’re trying to apply to than to remove their competition for the gold?”

Mace laughed. “I don’t need to ‘suck up’ to anyone. My place in the Barons is guaranteed. Me and Gilda only need to wait one more year and we’re set. The benefits of being related to the Chancellor.”

Gilda stepped towards Dash. “C’mon, Dash. This is crazy. Just back off.”

Dash glared at her. “Why are you defending him? After what he said earlier?”

Gilda tensed. “That was my brother being my brother. He’s a jerk, I know that. I’ve had a lifetime to experience it. But now you come here and accuse my family of a crime. That’s crossing the line, Dash. Even if he is a jerk.”

Mace rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Geegee...I guess.”

“Well, then we can let the guards make that decision, won’t we?” Dash said.

Gilda’s eyes went wide. “You called the guards?!”

Twilight coughed. “Well, the guards with the Wonderbolts were members of the Equestrian guard from back home. Since my brother is Captain, they listened to my suggestions. There isn’t enough just yet for anypony to worry about charges, but what evidence exists makes Mace the most likely suspect, so they will be by shortly to ask some questions.”

Which, as Twilight would note later, was good timing as they entered the room just as Gilda lunged at Dash and tackled her, screaming, thrashing and punching.